


Underneath

by BigBullship



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Eleanor's Louis' best friend, Famous Harry, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Hate to friendship, Liam's Harry's assistant, Lottie is a big fan of Harry, Louis dislikes Harry at first, Louis is being a prick half of the story, Love at First Sight, M/M, Making a Bet, Meet & Greet, Niall's Harry's best friend, Non-Famous Louis, Popstar Harry, Zayn's Louis' best friend, i'm sorry i'm bad at tagging, openly gay Louis, somehow Harry's in the closet, well probably smut but idk where to fit it yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-05-15 08:35:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5778949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigBullship/pseuds/BigBullship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis Tomlinson's life is simple. He has amazing best friends in Eleanor and Zayn, and amazing sisters. Mostly. So he thinks till he's dragged to a Meet & Greet plus concert of the famous singer Harry Styles that his sisters are totally gone for. Louis isn't, really. He actually thinks nothing more of Harry as his image shows; bad boy, womaniser, bad joker. But what if he finds out that what you see is not always what it seems?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> [](http://www.directupload.net/file/d/4241/q2ha4vwx_jpg.htm)   
> 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, I wanted to write this for like forever but I just got really inspired today to go on with it! I had like 500 words before I got uninspired and stopped writing.  
> Gonna work on this story from now on and hope I won't get writer's block!
> 
> All the love to Nia (@eternalxrry) who has agreed to be my beta :)
> 
> Hope you'll like it.  
> Nes. xx
> 
>  
> 
> General information:  
> Any similarity to other fanfictions, movies or books isn't attended. The story is completely made up, even though most people in this story are part of One Direction or are family/friends of one of the boys. This story isn't trying to imply that anything in this story is true, nor even close to the truth.
> 
> Trigger warning:  
> Story will contain triggering content - boyxboy SMUT!
> 
> ©2016, by Nes (BigBullship) - All rights reserved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited.

_"Strip away the flesh and bone_

_Look beyond the lies you've known_

_Everybody wants to talk about a freak_

_No one wants to dig deep_

_Let me take you underneath"_

  ~ Underneath by Adam Lambert ~

 

***

 

Raindrops fall softly on the window pane. It's already getting late.

Louis is already talking to Eleanor for three hours and they actually just talk about trivial things. This is so typical.

At such moments Louis questions if he shouldn't have been born as girl because he doesn't even mind El annoying him about this one guy he can't even remember the name of.

"You know Louis, I'm just not sure if he's being honest with me. How do I know he's not playing?"

"Did you ask him?"

"Of course I didn't, Lou, don't be stupid. If I ask him he'll think I'm some annoying little girl." Louis sighs and walks back to his bed.

"El, why don't you just say exactly that, but not to me but him? Just make it fucking clear that it's serious to you. Then you'll see how he reacts."

In that moment someone bangs at his door. The person doesn't wait for a reply but storms in immediately.

"What the heck, Lottie. Ever heard about privacy?" Louis stares annoyed at his little sister. He tells Eleanor his goodbyes and hangs up. "What do you want that you couldn't wait till I was finished with my phone call?"

"Louis you have to do me a huge favour! Please!"

"How about you start telling me what you even want!"

"I saved money for over a year and now I finally got enough to buy myself tickets to see Harry Styles' show in Manchester. It was even enough to get Meet & Greet tickets!"

"Well congrats… and what do you want from me?"

"Louis you have to go there with me!" Louis isn't sure if he should laugh about this or not. How ridiculous is that? His sisters know he hates this Harry Styles guy. That obnoxious little heart-drop that is cute and nice looking from the outside but is nothing more than any other celebrity – a womaniser, a macho, having bad humour and for sure is high up his own arse.

_Fuck no!_

"Are you fucking insane? I won't go to a stupid Harry Styles concert and for sure not to a Meet & Greet!"

"But you have to!"

"I don't!"

"You do because otherwise mum won't let me go!"

"Then you won't go, sorry!"

"You better not ask me for any favour ever again then!" Lottie screams angrily and storms out of the room again.

_Finally silence again._

What is wrong with teenagers these days? Obsessed about some dumb arse pop star that won't ever notice them or be a real part of their lives. Why was a meet & greet so important to Louis' sister? She would meet this Harry Styles guy and then? He might hug her, tell her something he tells every fan and then she might also get a picture – that's it. Harry Styles will have forgotten about her as soon as she's out of the door because she's just another fan that makes him rich as fuck, thank you very much. She will always just be one in a million, nothing special. Lottie might not even ever meet Harry again. That's just how life is. Plain and unfair. There's nothing more to that and maybe, just maybe Louis is a bit bitter. Maybe Louis is just the only one who gets what life is – nothing more than a masquerade, a farce. There are more people existing than actually living and this is for sure a fact. One hundred percent.

All this stupid teenagers being completely obsessed with some idiot of a superstar and throw even more money at them than they deserve. This is business. Some are better in this shit than others and apparently this Harry lad seems to be especially amazing in this, this – Louis can't even name it. He finds all of this just plain annoying. There's more to life than running after someone's attention that you won't ever get because this someone is in a whole other league, whole other world even and is kind of looking down on you. Where's the sense in that game? Life's too short to waste it on irrelevant things and that's what this bloke Harry Styles is to Louis. He won't waste one day to drive from Doncaster to Manchester, so his sister can meet the guy of her dreams. She won't ever know the real Harry Styles anyway, just his public side and that's something Louis finds the most annoying. He might not know much about this X Factor winner but well, there's enough proof for him that he isn't that amazing. He's a charming cocky arse. Harry's a womaniser, playing with woman like they're dolls. Even his jokes aren't funny and still everyone calls him that and shit lots more. Louis doesn't know what shall be so special about this guy. Is it the elusiveness that draws woman to him? Maybe it's his womaniser image? Do woman hope they can manage to be that one girl that conquers his heart and owns it for their self? That they're the one and only that breaks the womaniser curse?

Louis laughs.

_How ridiculous is that!_

 

 

When Louis enters the dining room there's this weird arse silence that isn't usually. It's when he knows that something's to come and it makes him unease and uncomfortable. He doesn't like it when it feels like that, like the calm before the storm. Louis' feeling slightly nervous, sitting on his chair waiting for his mum to come back from the kitchen. The girls all sit in their chairs – completely silent.

_What's going on?_

It's so unusually for the girls to be quite at the dinning table. The house is always vivid and loud, no matter when.

He looks at the twins that silently play some clapping game – which of course is weird to look at for the fact that they never care about how loud they usually are with their games. From the twins his glance flickers to Fizzy who sits opposite the twins and silently stares back at Louis with a look her brother can't really place. Something that maybe tries to tell him 'You won't like what will happen'. It doesn't help Louis to relax, not one bit.

And then finally he looks at his oldest younger sister. Lottie's typing away rants after rants on her phone; god knows who she's texting with, maybe she is tweeting but it must be something pleasant because she looks happy compared to Fizzy, excited even.

Seconds later their mother, Jay, enters the room with supper, sets it on the table and sits down on the chair next to Louis.

"Before we start eating I need to talk to y'all", Jay starts and it's pretty unusually that his mother has something to announce before dinner. Louis looks at Lottie, who did put her phone down and grins broadly back at her big brother.

 _Okay, what the hell is going on today?_  

"You all know I always try to reasonable about my decisions of what I let you go through and what not", his mother continues. What prep talk is that supposed to be? Louis doesn't understand where his mum is going with that and it kind of scares him. It's so unusually. He knows Jay always tries to be more like a best friend than a mother with her children and she tries to allow them as much freedom as possible before her protective feelings started to ban the 'fun' out of a teenagers life. Most of the time Louis was pretty happy that he has survived his teenager time and was now in his twenties and kind of free from restrictions.

Still, was Jay going to tell them she won't approve of so much anymore like before? No way, she already was like the best mum ever! She had some responsibilities, so it was impossible to like not care at all anymore and allow the kids everything. So that couldn't be it.

"Since it was Christmas almost a month ago, Lottie used her saved money to buy something that really means a lot to her–" Pause.

Wait what? This was about a Christmas present Lottie had bought for herself?

_Oh god!_

Didn't she buy the Harry Styles' concert tickets plus Meet & Greet recently? Wasn't that something she did consider 'it is dear to me'? Why would Jay even point this out? Lottie already asked Louis about it and he had refused. Or was Lottie asking again and their mother had changed her mind and allowed Lottie to go now though? Or did she point out none of the girls were allowed at any concert at all?

_God, please!_

"I really appreciate if you do save money and spend it on something that makes you happy." Lottie smiles happily and nods.

_You'll see soon, Lots! Sorry that you won't see your precious Harry._

"Still, when Lottie said she will go to a Harry Styles' concert in September I didn't approve of that."

_That's right! Don't let a 15 year old go freak out at a concert of her big famous pop star idol she will meet for two seconds at her stupid Meet & Greet that won't be worth the money at all!_

"But since I know how important this is for Lottie, I decided that she's allowed when you go with her, Louis–"

_Wait what? Did he hear that right?_

Lottie has already told him that mum would just allow her to go when Louis came with her but he had refused! He had bloody damn refused! So what was this even about?

Louis stares at his mother in shock and sees his sister's wicked smile just out of the corner of his eyes.

"I know you have refused earlier but Louis I insist that you go. I'd be like a birthday present for Lottie's 15th birthday!"

"I am 21 years old! I don't like that guy and I don't like his teenage pop music shit! I won't go!" Louis shouts and stands up from his chair. Lottie chuckling, Fizzy stares annoyed and the twins don't understand what the problem is, continuing to play their clapping rhymes.

"Louis, it's your sister's wish and I understand that you aren't a teenager anymore and you have different interests than your sister and you might not like the artist your sister wants to see. But I refuse to let my, by then, 15 year old daughter go alone to some concert, let alone Meet & Greet!" Louis lets out a groan.

_Is she seriously?_

Louis' home for his fucking Christmas holidays and he has to leave soon for London again and his mother thinks it's the perfect time to insist him to go to this stupid concert in September? He is freaking 21. He isn't even living at home anymore since he's at university in London, living in the dorms of the university with his roommate and best friend Zayn.

He doesn't have to do what his mother says anymore. He just doesn't.

"I don't care if it's soon after my sister's birthday! It could be her 18th birthday and I wouldn't want to go. You can't make me!" Lottie glares at him with a killer look and Louis doesn't care. Right now, he doesn't care.

"Okay, we'll continue to discuss that later. Maybe after dinner!?" Jay looks at him in a plea and he knows it's damage control. Louis' mum knows that the twins and Fizzy have nothing to do with this conversation and they would probably rather eat than listen to Louis shout at their mother. Besides, they all were hungry, too. "We eat now and then we two can talk in private after. So sit down again, please."

"Thank you but I'm not hungry anymore!" Louis says before he storms out of the room and runs up the stairs.

He calls El. That's always making everything better. Eleanor does listen. El gives advice and is honest. Louis needs that right now.

The phone makes its usual ringing sounds – beep beep beep.

"Hello?"

"Eleanor. God bless!"

"Louis, what is it? I have dinner with Dean in like ten minutes!" _Dean it was, right._

"Shit, was that today?"

"Yes, idiot! So where is the fire?"

"Lottie!"

"What did she do now? Run into your room again without knocking?"

"That's not the problem. The problem is the thing she came in for in the first place!"

"Oh and that is?" His best friend sounds bored, annoyed. She doesn't really wanna talk with Louis right now, Louis knows. Eleanor's always like that before a date with Dean.

"HarryStylesMeetAndGreetConcertTickets!" Louis lets out without one breath in between and he feels like having a huge panic attack coming.

"WAIT WHAT?" Eleanor almost screams.

"She bought tickets from her saved money for Christmas. September concert in Manchester and mum wants me to go with my sister! It's a Meet & Greet and I don't want to go!"

"I'm so jelly of you, Louis. I'd take the damn ticket in a heartbeat!"

"Maybe I should get my mum to allow Lottie to go with you!"

"Well, no thank you. I like Lottie but I don't wanna spend a whole freaking concert alone with a fifteen year old. I'd have too much responsibility."

"You suck!"

"And you suck dick." Eleanor chuckles and Louis' close to do the exact same but he's not in the mood for chuckles or laughs or even a bloody smile.

"Very accurate return, Ms Calder."

"Okay, listen, Louis. Dean's here. I need to hang up. Love you, bye."

"Bye", Louis says and gets greeted with the sound of an ended call.

_Thank you very much for the concern though, El!_

 

Louis Tomlinson (@TheTommo)

It's official now: I hate my sister for liking Harry Styles! #fact

 

Jenna Miller (@JenJenMill)

@TheTommo why? oO

 

Alan (@AlanKelley)

@TheTommo also have a sister that loves that guy. I don't see why.

 

Louis Tomlinson (@TheTommo)

@AlanKelley I'll second that! I don't know why either.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So idk why chapter one already has one comment, twelve kudos, three bookmarks and 174 hits... like wtf? oO  
> I uploaded it less than 24 hours ago... at 3 am ^^ I've been so tired but I wanted to upload...
> 
> Whatever here is chapter two already :)  
> I'm not sure when I can upload again since I'm away over the weekend for some carnival event (I'll be a 20s Can Can Dancer and I'm so in love with my outfit!!)  
> Okay enough about my shit ^^  
> I'll update as soon as I can because I don't wanna disappoint anyone with this one like I did with my other fic :(
> 
> Have fun reading.  
> Nes. xx
> 
> Edited.

**~ 8 months later ~**

 

"Why couldn't you just buy four Meet & Greet tickets at least?" Louis shouts at Lottie. He tried so hard to get his mum to change her mind in the last eight months. To just allow Lottie and her best friend Emily to go to the Meet & Greet together, but Jay had refused and even had put Louis' name on one of the tickets and Lottie's on the other before he could go on with discussing himself out of this shit. He remembers how angry he has been. There was no way he could delete the name on the ticket now, so that the ticket was still usable. Louis was just fucked. And it wasn't in a good way.

_God, I wished I was fucked in the good way._

Louis shakes his head. Where are his thoughts going?

_Okay, that went off tracks._

"I didn't have enough money, you dumb-arse. And anyway I didn't think I would have to go with you. I'd rather go with Emily to the Meet 'n' Greet. Glad she even could get a normal ticket before they were all sold out!"

"And I'm glad Eleanor likes this idiot too and got herself a ticket as soon as I told her I'd have to go. Otherwise I would have killed you, Lottie."

"Oh shut up, you wouldn't. Anyway, I bet, deep within, you probably even like Harry. Maybe you even have a crush on him. I mean seriously who wouldn't?" Now she was kidding right?

"Just because he has a pretty face doesn't mean I like him or even have a crush on him." Louis sighs. "I care about something that is called personality, you heard about it?"

"Fuck you, Louis. Don't forget that you have a dumb twitter account about your gay life. It's not better than my fan account!"

"At least I don't spend 24/7 drooling over someone I'll meet at an Meet & Greet for two seconds, maybe get a picture even and don't ever see again."

"And I don't spend 24/7 complaining about my pathetic non-existing sex life, thank you very much."

"You don't even follow me!"

"No, but I was curious, okay!? I wanted to know what you're even writing about. All there's to find are tweets about your parties and complains about your sex life or your stupid uni and I really don't understand why so many people even follow you!"

"Because of the tweets I sent about Harry bloody Styles I got annoying Stylers following me. It's just your fault."

"I didn't tell you to tweet about Harry! See you seem quite obsessed with him yourself when you complain about him for eight months straight."

_Shit!_

That was kind of true, though, wasn't it? He had spent so much time to complain about how he has to attend that stupid concert and how much he dislikes that Harry Styles guy that he seems a bit obsessed in his own kind of way. It has been eight months now and the concert was this Friday. It was Friday, the 13th and well how fitting was that? It was like a damn horror movie, wasn't it? At least for Louis it was.

He could think about spending a Friday evening more efficient than going to a Harry Styles concert with his 15 year old sister and her best friend. Gladly, Eleanor was with them as well. Louis literally had begged her to come with them as his personal support. He'd for sure need it.

Eleanor and Emily couldn't get seats directly next to the tickets from the Meet & Greet but they found two seats a few rows behind. Eleanor would sit with Louis and Lottie could sit with Emily and fangirl as much as she wanted.

That was the compromise Louis got. It was better than nothing, he thought. It meant he didn't have to be first row at a concert he didn't even want to attend, like at all. It should be possible for him to survive in seventh row, so he thinks.

"No, you didn't", Louis murmurs and stalks out of the living room to go change into some very comfortable outfit but still perfect enough to go clubbing after the concert. That was his own little compromise to make this day not a complete waste of time while staying in Manchester. Emily's mother has promised to pick the girls up after the concert so Louis could go clubbing with Eleanor as long as they wanted. That was the deal. That was why he agreed to go through the horror. Maybe also because the tickets already had the Tomlinson sibling's names on them and so he couldn't really back out anymore but really, now he at least had a little of a reason to even drive to Manchester.

 

 

He opens his closet and picks out his outfit. It takes him like forever to go for the right thing to wear.

_What are you fucking wearing to a Meet & Greet you don't want to go to but you wanna go clubbing afterwards?_

Maybe he should bring spare clothes for after the concert? But where the hell is he supposed to change? He doesn't wanna shift in some ugly arse restroom of the arena or some public one. The car isn't really an option either.

In the end (like over an hour later) he chose the best party clothes he had. To be honest, Louis doesn't care if he looked to good for a Meet & Greet and that he looked like he did care about how he looked just for the concert and meeting Harry fucking Styles. He knows that he did look that good to get laid tonight or maybe just for some flirt. He was brilliant in One Night Stands, no lie. But he actually wanted to find the one and only, Mr Right. Unfortunately it seemed like there were no other gay's interested in this – in a romance. Everyone just wanted to get off and if there was someone who wanted something serious then it was most of the time a complete weirdo or psycho, or even both. So Louis doesn't even really try to find Mr Right anymore. He's kind of done with it. Now he's just like everybody else, looking for a hook up, fun and satisfying his lust.

Oh gosh, that sounds as if he's nothing more than a horny animal.

Louis sighs.

_Whatever!_

The concert is in around four hours and their drive to Manchester alone would take them around two hours. And it's just no fun to even think about this.

Eleanor would be here any minute and so would Emily.

_How did I end up having to spend the day with three girls? God, I hate life!_

Just as he finishes the thought, the doorbell rings and he hears the door opening. Then there's a scream and it lasts and lasts and lasts.

_Okay, girls are all insane!_

Two seconds later the door to his room opens and El walks in.

"I don't wanna be rude but your sisters' friend is crazy. Both of them are, actually! They just fucking screamed, jumping in each other's arms and whining about how Lottie will meet Harry today. Please, Louis, tell me I'm not that crazy! Please!" Eleanor sighs and Louis almost has to laugh because, seriously? Did El really just ask that? His best friend might like that Harry guy, too but she didn't scream and jump around like a freaking eight year old that just got ice cream after asking their mummy for over an hour straight.

No, Eleanor was definitely not as crazy as them.

"Nope," Louis exclaims and picks up all the clothes he did throw on the ground while he was trying to find the perfect outfit for today.

"Anyway, what the hell are you wearing?" Eleanor stares in disbelief. What's her problem with what he's wearing? Louis is in the tightest black skinny jeans he owns, a maroon jumper, black vans and a beanie. He looked perfect.

_That's how to get a guy!_

Maybe she thinks it's a bit too much for the concert, though? Well, Louis doesn't care about Harry bloody Styles' Meet & Greet or his concert. This show wasn't his fucking priority, the clubbing afterwards surely was.

"What do you mean?"

"You look like a damn sex god on legs, well not that you'd be my type but what are you trying to do? Seduce Harry Styles?" Louis laughs and laughs and laughs and can't even stop because how ridiculous is this question!?

"Yeah sure, I, Louis Tomlinson, try to seduce Harry freaking fucking straight Styles at a dumb Meet & Greet where I see him for like a second. And the best joke of the year goes to–"

"Shut up, Louis! But seriously this is not the look that gives away that you would rather kill everyone in the UK than actually attending this concert but it's your decision."

"Damn right!" He says and after a short pause then adds, "I don't look good for Harry straight Styles but for any gay guy that might be clubbing in Manchester later."

"I don't want to break it to you, Lou but I think there will be a lot girls flirting with you tonight." El chuckles and Louis shakes his head.

The blue-eyed boy picks up his phone and tweets.

 

Louis Tomlinson (@TheTommo)

Today will be like the worst day of my life. Have to go to a Harry Styles' concert! Oh and it's not the worst… it's a Meet & Greet!!! #help

 

Jenna Miller (@JenJenMill)

@TheTommo OMG I HAVE A FANGIRL MOMENT!!! I TOTALLY LOVE HIM!! YOU NEED TO KISS AND TELL LATER!

 

PHAN<3 (@phanisreallife)

@TheTommo I can't even imagine what would be bad about meeting Harry to be honest! YOU'RE SO LUCKY!

 

HARRY PLS FOLLOW ME! (@stylesgirl98)

@TheTommo YUOR SOOOOOO LUKCY!!!!! PLEWASE MAJE A TWIUTLONGER LATER1!11!!! #jellyaf

 

Louis Tomlinson (@TheTommo)

Do I have to thank my sister now that I get all you Stylers following me because you want all the details?

 

Louis Tomlinson (@TheTommo)

I just don't like Harry Styles. I'm not going to apologise for saying that I don't wanna go to a concert nor a Meet & Greet! #sorrynotsorry

 

El (@EleanorCalder)

@TheTommo babe, calm your arse! I will be there too!

 

Louis Tomlinson (@TheTommo)

Bless @EleanorCalder for saving my arse! Really appreciate it. Love you very much xx

 

El (@EleanorCalder)

@TheTommo now shut up before people wonder if you're gay or not. Love you, too, though xx

 

PHAN<3 (@phanisreallife)

@TheTommo @EleanorCalder you two are so cute! If we wouldn't know Louis' gay, I'd totally ship you guys!!! #Louanor

 

Louis sighs and shuts the twitter app.

_Bloody wonderful!_

Now he had stupid more and more Stylers following him. He shouldn't have tweeted about Harry Styles. Not at all!

He had like two thousand followers eight months ago. All of them mostly interested in his gay life. And now? Now there are one thousand more followers. All of them having Harry, Stylers or Haylor in their name, username or their bio, some even had it all.

_Urgh._

He didn't plan on getting into that crap. It's a wonder he didn't get hate tweets yet. The Stylers are such a huge fandom. They basically rule twitter and when you got them on your bad side, you're just plain fucked.

_Okay, better don't go there again._

He knows the Stylers fandom is split into two groups. The one believing in Haylor being real, the other group believing she's some cover up for Harry Styles' sexuality.

_Laughable!_

"Now did you finish tweeting, or what?"

Right, they had to leave soon. Manchester. Stupid Harry Styles concert. The Meet & Greet even more stupid.

_Urgh._

"Sure."

The two of them walk down the stairs together and join Lottie and Emily in the living room. Louis' sister and her friend sit on the sofa, scrolling on Lottie's phone and screaming from time to time and chatting about incomprehensible stuff.

"Girls, we have to leave in a few. Are you ready?"

"OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!" Lottie jumps up from the sofa and runs up the stairs, probably into her room. Emily laughs and also Eleanor can't stop herself from laughing out loud. Only Louis stands in the room feeling dumbfounded.

_What the heck is wrong with the youth of today?_

It feels like hours till Lottie comes running back into the room, dressed into a whole other outfit and with some Harry Styles merch.

"Are you now looking like a blonde Harry Styles double, or what is this supposed to be?" Louis asks his sister, pointing at her new clothes. She wears a white shirt with a flowery bottom up over it, black ripped skinny jeans, brown boots, a necklace saying 'Stylers' and a fedora. She looked like some stupid hipster. No, actually she really just looked like a bad copy of Harry bloody Styles. Maybe she looked slightly better than the pop star, just out of the reason that Louis couldn't stand Harry but loved his sister over everything.

"You look so cute!" Emily and Eleanor say simultaneously. Lottie blushes and then chuckles incessantly.

Wow, they aren't even in Manchester yet and Louis is already done. He has already enough of the three of them. How will he survive?

He shushes them all out of the house and gets into the car. When everyone is in and buckled up, he starts the engine and drives off towards Manchester. Lottie and Emily playing Harry Styles' songs in the back seats, Eleanor typing on her phone and chatting with Louis from time to time and all Louis can do is try not to freak the fuck out.  

 

 

Two hours later they arrive at the arena in Manchester. Louis has survived so far. God bless him!

They have listened to every single song of Harry annoying Styles on the travel here and Louis doesn't know how he shall survive even one more song by this guy at the concert. He definitely declares 'What makes you beautiful' to the most annoying songs of all. How did this guy even get famous with such a dumb song? It's a mystery to him. Anyway, that guy's music isn't his type of music anyway. It's too much of teenage pop and the lyrics' are just plain awful.

Although, that guy has three to four songs that are quite okay. Louis has googled that one song like a week ago. It's one of Styles' best ones. 'Little Things'. He learned that Ed Sheeran has written it and he did freak out immediately. Of course this has to be the reason he even liked this song.

Whatever, he stopped the engine when he found a car park near the arena and then all of them got out of the car.

"Damn I'm already knackered just from driving here."

"Shut up Louis, there's no going back anymore."

"There wasn't one eight months ago. You remember mum putting both our names on the damn tickets?" Louis groans. He adored all the woman and girls in his family but that day his mum went slightly too far.

"Yep, I remember. It was a great day."

They cross a street, turn left into another street, cross a zebra crossing and then they are there. Finally. At the arena. And it seems so… finally. So terrible like it's coming, the horror.

Louis feels uneasy again. The last time he felt that terrible, was the night eight months ago when his mum had announced that Louis would for sure attend this stupid concert with Lottie.

No, actually he feels even worse than that. He feels like he's going to throw up.

The girls next to him on the other side are scarily excited, even overexcited. Even Eleanor is a little hyper.

_Oh my gosh, why can't Lottie be old enough to go alone?_

They walk up the few stairs up to the public open space before the arena. Louis looked up the time.

_4:20 pm._

Just in time. The Meet & Greet will start in 10 minutes. They have to find the doors. It isn't easy to find anything here. They all haven't been at this arena before and there are so many people that you couldn't really make out the signs that were supposed to help find the way.

The four of them walked up to the long waiting line and found that there are actually two. The shorter one apparently for the VIP tickets which included the Meet & Greet. Lottie said her goodbye to Emily and hugged her tightly.

_Holy shit, you're not dying! You'll see each other again in less than one hour!_

While Eleanor and Emily stay in the long queue for the normal tickets, Lottie and Louis walk up to the short line that just has around eight more people standing there.

At exactly 4:30 a woman came out of the front door of the arena and announced that the people with Meet & Greet tickets are now allowed to enter. More instructions will follow when all of them are inside.

Just a minute later all ten of the VIP people (all of them except Louis being girls) were inside, gathering around in a circle, being completely hysteric.

_Wow, damn amazing and not weird at all, note the sarcasm._

The woman asks how all of them accompany and lets us get in a line, with the person next to each other that are together here. They ended up in four groups, Lottie and Louis being the last ones in line.

The first group is requested to follow the woman while the rest is watched by two broad-shouldered bodyguards.

Five minutes later the next group is called in and again five minutes later the third group.

_We're next, help!_

"Oh my god, Louis, please tell me I'm not dreaming. I'll meet Harry bloody Styles in a few."

"Shut up, Lottie. I don't even know why I am here. What am I supposed to do in there?" One of the bodyguards ogles him strangely. He obviously wasn't used to people at concerts that didn't even like to be there, especially when they're about to meet the famous star personally.

"Last group!" The woman shouts out of a room to their right.

"Lou, just in case I shall faint, can you please kick me or throw water on me and if it doesn't help can you tell Harry I'm his biggest fan?"

"Yeah, sure", Louis answers annoyed and pushes his sister towards the half open door.

As soon as Lottie enters the door, she starts to cry and murmur and she's close to screaming. She's overwhelmed by her feelings and Louis knows she has to comprehend herself to not immediately storm into Harry. He'd love to take her into her arms right now and sooth her down but that would probably be the last thing she wants right now, being comforted by the big brother.

Louis follows his sister slowly into the room, all eyes on him too now.

_Damn, there's nothing's even close to this feeling. Every damn presentation in uni feels easier to handle than a damn meeting with someone I don't even like!_

He looks around; there are four more men in the room, watching them cautiously. They're probably all bodyguards, although one of them is dressed in a too nice looking suit to be a bodyguard. Besides he's holding a clipboard in one hand and a walkie-talkie in the other.

He lets his glance wander and then his eyes land on a tall figure. A person dressed similar to his sister: black ripped skinny jeans, weird bottom up shirt with flamingos on it, buttons open almost to the belly button, exposing two birds and the beginning of a butterfly tattoo. He's wearing his usual brown boots and his hair is put back in a men's bun.

And then his blue eyes stare into green ones and the world seems to stand still.

There he is, Louis' Friday the 13th, the horror on two legs – Harry Styles.


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lil' reminder that I have never been to a Meet & Greet, so this is out of imagination.  
> If it doesn't work like that I actually give a flying fuck. (ya know: 'ma story, ma rules'!) ^^  
> Have fun reading. xx
> 
> P.S.: Please comment because it motivates me and makes me happy. :)
> 
> Edited.

It’s a weird feeling for Louis. He doesn’t really know Harry, not really at least and still all he knows about the curly lad in front of him, makes him dislike the younger guy so much. Louis can't quite place the feeling he just has. It's just plain weird. It really feels like the world has stopped, so the both of them can stare at each other everlastingly.

Although, Louis doesn’t even want to look at Harry bloody stupid Styles, doesn’t even want to be in the same room with him. But here he is because his little sister isn’t allowed to go alone and he's kind of forced to be here today.

_Now, can Lottie get her hug and her picture or whatever and then can we fucking get out of here again?_

“Hi, oh my gosh. Can I hug you?” Lottie shatters the awkward silence and somehow breaks the spell that holds Louis in its ban (that did make him stare at Harry Styles and stare and stare). Louis looks away at the same time as Harry looks at Lottie. The tall guy smiles at Lottie and nods frequently.

“Yeah, of course, sure”, the pop star stutters and Louis chuckles.

Did Louis intimidate Harry? Well, he wouldn’t know with what he would have. Maybe Harry Styles isn’t used to boys coming to his Meet & Greets? Or just maybe it’s because Louis just looks so damn sexy, too sexy for such a damn meeting and Harry thinks Louis is some mega gay fan and feels intimidated by that fact? Just because he’s as straight as a ruler or even homophobe?

Okay, he can't really stand that guy but it’s pretty much obvious that Harry isn't homophobe though. Isn’t Harry friends with Cara Delevingne who’s bisexual? And also Nick Grimshaw, radio host for BBC 1 Radio and kind of one of Louis’ biggest gay idols?

Louis sees a flash of light and looks up from the spot on the ground he was looking at for the last few seconds after staring and staring at Harry Styles.

One of the guards is holding Lottie's phone and apparently has taken a picture of Lottie next to Harry, Lottie hanging on the celebrity's arm as if they met at a club and now were leaving to head home.

_Funny that._

Louis groans and Harry looks to him.

"Do you want a picture, too?"

"For sure not, thanks." He fishes his iPhone out of his pocket and looks up the time. 4:59. The doors open at half past five, then he finally can sit down next to Eleanor and chat with her about other shit, anything but Harry stupid Styles. "Lottie, are you done? Can we go?" He asks his sister eagerly.

Louis really doesn't want to be in this room for just one more second. He'd love to leave this room, this arena and if he's honest he doesn't even have to stay in Manchester for any longer.

"You aren't here for a picture or an autograph?" Harry asks perplex, obviously he can't believe that someone would buy a VIP ticket with Meet & Greet and then not want anything from the star.

Okay, well. When Louis thinks about it, it really seems a bit odd, doesn't it? But it wasn't his fault! He would have gladly swept tickets with Emily so she could meet Harry too and fangirl her arse off together with Lottie but of course Jay had to put her children's names on it.

”No”, Louis simply answers.

“This is my brother, Louis”, Lottie introduces him.

_As if Harry famous Styles would care about his name, or him at all._

Louis rolls his eyes at his sister. What even does she think? He doesn’t want Harry Styles to know his name but then again, what does it matter. Harry will have forgotten his name as soon as he’s gone. Maybe he’ll remember him as the only person he ever met at a Meet & Greet that wasn’t totally crazy for the superstar. Louis doesn’t care. He’s not here to please Harry annoying Styles but his mother. Yes, he’s just here because of her and his sister who wanted to be here so badly, that he’s forced to play babysitter at a concert he’d never have attended voluntarily.

_Life is so damn unfair._

“Why are you here then?” Harry asks, now apparently curious why someone would pay so much money for a concert ticket, where he doesn’t even want to be.

“I’m here because of her!” Louis points at Lottie and groans again.

“Yeah, I’m a big fan. Mind signing my phone case, this shirt, your last album and your new single? The song is SO good! You did so wonderful with Story of my life. I bet the whole album will be fantastic!”

_Lottie cannot shut up, can she?_

“Of course, love”, Harry says and takes the pen out of Lottie’s hand. He quickly signs everything Louis’ sister is holding out to him. Then Harry turns back to Louis who still stands awkwardly by the door. Louis didn’t really walk far into the room because what for, really? He planned of being out of the room again as soon as possible. By now, he was far too long in here already though. Harry smiles at Louis and then asks, “Seriously why are you here?”

Didn’t Louis already answer that? What was so hard to understand?

“Already said I’m just here because of my sister.”

“That can’t be all, can it?” What is he on about?

“Our mother wouldn’t have allowed her to go, so I had to come as well.”

“Haven’t you actually thought about telling your mother you’ll go with your sister but in fact you just drive her and a friend and do something else in Manchester while they're at the concert and then you just pick them up again?”

“You really think you’re smarter than the rest of us. I would have considered that but I discussed about not having to go so long that my mother placed my name on the ticket.” Harry starts to laugh and Louis just can stare at the celebrity confused.

_What the fuck is wrong with this guy?_

“And you’ve never been to a concert as big as this one, have you? There's no need to put your name on the ticket and I think Louis is easily changeable into Louise, don’t you think? None of the door guards would have been wondering; none would have even checked if it really was Lottie’s friends’ name. It would have been really easy, so why are you here?”

“Maybe I didn’t know, yes. Are you done questioning me, or what? I think you have better shit to do than talking to someone who for sure doesn’t want to talk to someone like you–“ Everyone in the room is quite shocked. Never before had anyone talked to Harry like that.

“Ehm, Harry. I don’t want to interfere but the time is already up for a few minutes.” The guy with the clipboard says, walking towards Harry.

_God bless this clipboard guy!_

But Harry doesn’t make a move or does throw Louis and Lottie out just like this. Actually, he seems not to care that he gives the two of them more time with him than the other groups, more than was allowed from his management.

 “Thank you, Liam but can I have a couple more minutes please?”

_Okay, what the heck is that about? Time’s up now let us go!_

The guy that is apparently called Liam gazes at Harry in disbelief and so does Louis. Louis is… he can't even describe it. Mostly confused. He did insult freaking fucking Harry Styles and he does not even blink.

Why does this guy not just go back to his backstage area and does whatever he does before a concert? Why does Louis have to stay in a room with the devil himself?

"Why do you not like me? No, actually why do you dislike me so much?" Harry asks curiously and strides towards Louis.

"The media is full of you. Everywhere I go people talk about how hot you are and amazing and how desirable. I don't get why everyone wants you. You're not funny and half of the shit you wear is ugly as hell. You hang on every woman's arm as if it was totally normal to flirt with just everyone. I don't even care if you also sleep with all of them like media says but I wouldn't be surprised if you do. But the worst is that all my sisters love you. Your shit music is on like every fucking minute. I don't even wanna walk in any of their rooms because all I'd see is your damn face", Louis lists all the reasons he can find why he dislikes Harry. "Can we go now, Lottie?"

No one moves. Everyone in the room is in some kind of shock. Never in the last three years has anyone attacked Harry like this. Nobody has ever told him so many things they didn't like about him. And when someone did insult Harry it was mostly one reason and it was just lame insults and something he was able to just shrug off. But how Louis pictured him was just not him, not at all. How did he get such a bad image of the pop star? Was this really all people saw in him when they just looked at his image and media picture? Was he really just that, a fashionista who was a disaster or a master from time to time? Someone that looked like a womaniser who's fucking every girl that is totally willing? When Harry thinks about it, it is a hideous scene he has in his mind. And the worst is that it's really so far away from how he really is and how he wants to be seen from others.

"You don't know the real me", Harry mutters but Louis doesn't listen. He has enough, has been long enough in this shit room. Louis needs to leave, now. The air is already thin, he needs air, needs room to breathe. Mostly he needs to see something else than Harry pain in the arse Styles.

Louis walks around Harry who looks after Louis who grabs his sister's left hand and drags her to the exit. Lottie has to grasp hard on her signed items to not lose them while the two of them rush to the door.

The blonde girl is so embarrassed by her brother she wants to look apologising at Harry but at the same time she just wants to get out of here now, almost as much as her brother wants to. Louis didn't just embarrass himself but also his sister. She's quite ashamed to be related to him right now.

Really, why did Louis have to come with her? They should have thought about the fact that Louis was easily editable into Louise and no one cared about names on tickets anyway. Lottie wants to get swallowed up by a deep, deep hole and never come out of it. Louis just fucking humiliated her in front of her freaking idol, in front of Harry lovely Styles. He did insult him as everything he was not. What even has gotten into him?

"You just really don't know me!" Harry then suddenly shouts, just as Louis and Lottie leave the room.

"I don't give a fuck, bye!" Louis hollers back.

Then they're gone and Harry's left behind speechless.

 

Harry stares at the open door, feeling totally dumbfounded and flabbergasted.

"That was crazy!" Liam seems to be the first to be out of the shock state they were all in for at least five minutes. "I think this guy is insane. Shall we call security and throw him out of the arena?"

"No", Harry answers.

"You're sure?" Liam looks appraisingly at Harry, not quite what was to do in such a situation.

"Yes, thank you Liam. He paid for the ticket, a ticket is really expensive. I don't want it to be wasted."

"But he doesn't seem to really care about being here."

"Doesn't really matter, does it? Practise what you preach, Liam. Be nice to everyone", Harry exclaims and walks out of the door, just like the blue-eyed boy before him did five minutes before.

The doors open soon and he should be backstage already for at least ten minutes.

_Stupid time table, there isn't even time to breathe!_

"Your sentence is 'Be nice to nice'. Would that mean 'Be rude to rude' then?" Liam and the guards follow the pop star suit and instead of taking the right door that Louis and Lottie had to go through, they leave the anteroom through the left door in the direction of the backstage area.

"No, it's 'Be nice to nice and nice to everyone'."

"Since when? Today?" Liam counts himself to those people that are really close to Harry, know him really well. He's also considered a friend, although he's his personal assistant. That's probably even better than just working together, to be honest because Liam just knows Harry on a whole different level. It's so damn helping to have him keeping his appointments in order and at the same time being a friend when there's no one else around. Even though, Niall was there most of the time too anyway.

As they enter the backstage room a blonde guy storms into Harry.

_Speaking of the devil…_

"Harry, you're late! Where have you been?"

"Some guy insulted him at the Meet & Greet. We all were shocked as hell. Can you believe it he did shout at Harry and scold him as womaniser and you don't want to know what else."

"WHAT?" Niall's eyes nearly pop out of his head.

_Why would anyone even insult Harry? He's like the kindest person on earth!_

"Let's not talk about it boys, okay? We've got a show in an hour and we are ten minutes late, aren't we Liam?" Liam blinks frequently. Wow, how Harry just shrugs it off as nothing has just happened.

Of course usually Liam is the one always being organised but right now he still is kind of paralysed. It feels like someone has slept him right into the face or hit him with a baseball bat.

How was he supposed to do his job when his friend was slaughtered like that from some guy that didn't even know Harry, real Harry? How must Harry feel right now? How was he able to just dismiss the incident as though nothing has happened?

"Yeah, sure", Liam gets over his lips, leaving the chat unchallenged. The three of them leave for the make-up room because time's precious.


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story became my baby so quickly... I'm so damn proud of this.  
> I hope you like it as much as I do. ♥
> 
> P.S.: I have to say that I really feel sorry for Lottie.  
> And again: I don't care if anything in this story doesn't coincide with reality. This story is fictional! Live with it.
> 
> Edited.

When Louis and Lottie stumble into the anteroom, the woman from earlier awaits them already. She doesn’t smile like she did when they arrived. It’s possible that she knows about the Louis incident, that she knows about Louis insulting the famous Harry Styles.

“Please exit through the right door. Then you have to walk down the hall and back to the main entrance. From there you'll find signs to show you how you get to your seats.” She pauses for a moment before she picks up two bags that stand on a table next to the right door. “This is the present you get for buying the VIP package with Meet & Greet. Have fun with it and enjoy the concert.”

By now, Louis has already let go of his sister’s arm and both of them take their bag, Louis murmurs an almost inaudible thank you and then opens the right door to get back to Eleanor. He never wanted to see her more than right now.

Louis feels kind of bad for insulting Harry Styles but then again in his opinion the younger lad deserved to get an honest statement from him, not an act trying to play along as if he was here voluntarily.

_Whatever._

He just walks out without really looking back if Lottie's following him suit. Because of her he’s even here, to take care of her, be a big brother. But today he doesn’t want to be any of that. Louis doesn’t want responsibility, not today. Or that’s what he tells himself at least.

Lottie thanks the woman kindly and then tries to look apologising for what happened with Louis at the Meet & Greet. She’s still ashamed of being here with someone who was so rude to someone who did nothing to him in return. All Lottie wanted was enjoying the Meet & Greet and then the concert from her idol. Of course she knew that it’ll be hard with Louis having to be there because he disliked Harry so much (Lottie really couldn’t think of reasons why he did till Louis slammed all his reasons into Harry Styles’ face).

“Are you totally crazy?” Lottie asks when they got out of reach of the woman. Louis turns around to his sister and looks at her.

“I was just being honest!” Louis shrugs. What does his sister want from him? She's the reason he had to be in a room with Harry Styles in the first place. Did she expect him to be all excited? Say yes when asked if he wants a photo with a person he dislikes?

_Hell no!_

“I can’t believe you, Louis! You just destroyed a wonderful moment for me but you don’t even care. You always just care about yourself. You’re one of the most selfish persons on earth. You don’t know shit about Harry. Everything you threw at him is media Harry, not real Harry!”

“How can you be so sure that he’s a saint?” Lottie rolls her eyes.

“I don’t think Harry is a saint but I know there’s more to him than just his media image!”

“People in this business are all shallow and empty shells. Harry can’t be different!”

“You’re being ignorant! Not everyone is the same, you idiot!”

_Yeah right._

“Fame is getting to everyone, I tell you.”

“Think what you want but I can’t believe you had to destroy something that was supposed to be special for me. I hate you.” Lottie almost runs back to the main entrance. She's glad she'll barely see him at the concert, just for the fact that he'll sit seven rows behind her with Eleanor and she'll sit front row with Emily.

That's something she won't let him destroy as well. He had damaged enough for one day; even a week, a month. Lottie hasn't known that she could be so angry at her big brother whom she loves so much most of the time. But today he simply crossed a line and he doesn't even recognise, doesn't care.

When they arrive back at the main entrance it’s already 5:10. A guy from security asks them if they need help to find the right door that leads to the floor seats. Louis and Lottie both deny at the same time. They still get led towards the concert hall.

The other eight VIP fans are already sitting in their front row seats when they enter. Lottie walks towards the stage and shows a guard her ticket before he lets her take her seat. Louis follows her sullenly; he shows his ticket but doesn’t sit down yet. What for? Emily will be here soon and take the seat.

While Louis is standing, staring around and being in awe of how huge the hall is, Lottie’s inspecting the content of the VIP bag. There’s a poster, a tour shirt, a wristband, a keychain and a portable battery charger.

“I’m sorry, Lottie”, Louis suddenly says.

“For what?” His sister looks up from her gift bag to see her brother looking back at her apologising.

“For ruining your Meet & Greet”, Louis answers and then adds, “I know how important it was for you to meet Harry. It wasn’t fair of me to wreck your moment like that.”

“Your apologise won’t make it undone what you did, you know.”

“I know, Lots. And I guess I deserve that you’re mad at me but I want you to know that I love you and I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Yeah, that would have been even better, wouldn’t it!?” Lottie says sarcastically.

In that moment the doors open and a swarm of people enters the room. Minutes later Eleanor and Emily come strolling into Louis’ field of view.

_Finally._

Louis was already wondering when Eleanor would finally save him from the awkwardness between him and his sister after the incident at the Meet & Greet.

The two girls show their tickets to a guard and are let to the front row block. Eleanor sits down on her seat in row seven while Emily walks towards Louis to switch place with him. Before Emily can reach the two siblings a security guy is stepping in and telling her she’s not allowed front row.

“It’s okay. I’m switching my seat with her because she’s my sister’s best friend”, Louis explains but the guard just stares at him unfazed, not letting Emily pass. “Come on, where’s the problem?”

“A ticket is not assignable to another person. I’m sorry.”

“But who the fuck cares if I sit on this seat or my sister’s best friend?” Louis shouts and is really mad now. He doesn’t want to sit front row, so close to the stage, so close to Harry fuck-you Styles. For sure, he wouldn’t survive the damn concert next to his fangirling sister who might even cry or worse, hyperventilate. Louis isn’t ready to put himself through this, not ready at all. Especially now that they aren’t on best terms with each other. Lottie has to calm her embarrassment towards Louis down first, which might take weeks. So now is totally not the time for this. He might freak out if he really has to stay here.

“It doesn’t matter, Sir. I just follow the rules. You’ve got a VIP ticket, you’ve been to the Meet & Greet and so this front row seat is yours.”

“Is this your final say?”

“It is indeed, Sir. I’m really sorry.” When the guard, whose name is apparently Darren (when you can believe the name tag he’s wearing) finishes his sentence, another guard named Phillip comes around to take over the shift from Darren. Darren whispered something into Phillip’s ear, Phillip then nods and then guard one is moving away from the scene.

To Louis it’s off control now, he thinks. He’s not in the mood to start a fight with the second guard which has for sure got the instruction to not give a damn about what Louis says just to get to switch his place. Louis feels like in prison now. The guard probably even has the allowance to not let Louis out of the arena before the show is god damn over.

_Okay, maybe this is a little bit overdramatic._

“I’m sorry Emily.” Louis really is. If it was for him, she could even sit on the damn stage to be even closer to her idol, Harry Styles. He didn’t plan to sit that close to the stage, so close to a concert he doesn’t want to be at and for sure he doesn’t want to sit so close a person he doesn’t like.

_This is god damn shit fate!_

Emily wanders back to row seven and Louis collapses into _his_ seat.

He feels like he’ll die today.

 

 

Harry is backstage getting ready for the show. He’s standing in front of his hanging rail bare-chested, picking out his outfit right now. His opening act is already with Lou, the stylist. Niall is running around checking his guitar equipment and Liam is trying to get the backstage chaos under control.

“Li, can you stop for a second and help me pick out a shirt? You too, Niall!” He shouts at his friends that scurry around him like weasels.

“Seriously Harry, you are the style guru, not us”, Liam says and continues working.

It’s not Harry’s problem which clothes fit together. It’s more of a I-don’t-know-which-one-looks-better situation. He’s not even sure why he cares. Harry never did before but today he does. He wants to look good, really good. Why, he isn’t sure himself. Maybe it has something to do with this boy. Louis, was his name, right?

Harry has never been insulted like that in the last few years. It was quite a shock to him and everyone who was with them in the room. The popstar feels the most sorry for the boy’s sister. She must have been totally embarrassed.

Somehow that whole insulting thingy isn’t why he can’t get the boy out of his head. The boy’s so good looking. Harry thinks he has never seen anyone as attractive to him before. Most of his so called relationships were PR stunts and had nothing to do with him being involved to the women.

Harry knows that he’s not just attracted to women but also men. To him it’s not about gender or just the look alone even. For Harry personality is the most important part.

And still, Louis’ look alone left Harry breathless and speechless. He’s so beautiful; Harry can’t even really find words to describe him. Harry just never felt like this. Never felt such an attraction towards someone just alone from the appearance.

It’s really confusing for Harry because why would he be attracted to someone who has insulted him? All of what Louis has said was actually just his image, his media picture. It wasn’t really an offence towards the real Harry Styles but it hurts that there apparently are people out there that see him like this. In fact, Harry has never thought about what his image really showed of him. He’s not sure why he never did.

Harry picks the pink shirt with the white dots and Harry puts it on.

As he is buttoning his shirt, two guards walk past the open door, talking about some boy having a VIP ticket and still wanting to switch his seat with someone from row seven.

The person they’re talking about couldn’t be anyone but Louis. Harry is sure, so he calls out to them, making them stop in their tracks.

“Can we help you, Sir?” One of the guards asks when Harry appears in front of them.

“Who did you just talk about?” He asks, just to be sure he didn’t understand their conversation in the wrong way.

“There’s this boy in the arena. He was at the Meet & Greet I suppose because he has a VIP ticket with Meet & Greet plus front row seat.”

“What about him?” Harry is more than curious. Front row? How should Harry survive a concert where the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen is sitting that close to the stage he’ll be on? How is Harry supposed to function and not just stare at Louis like an utter idiot?

“He wanted to switch his seat with a girl he claimed as his sister' best friend. I’ve got the instructions to not let anyone in the VIP row except they have a ticket, Sir.” The guard with the name tag ‘Darren’ says.

“It’s just a switch though, isn’t it?” At that Liam stops in his hustled track and stares at his friend and boss in quite a confusion. It was his rule in the first place and now he changes them to let the boy, who insulted him, sit seven rows behind. Well, it kind of stands to reason.

“Sir, the boy obviously is the owner of the ticket. A ticket isn’t assignable to anyone else.”

“I ask you kindly to let the boy switch. I don’t think he’d be happy front row.”

“Why would he be at your concert and have a VIP ticket when he doesn’t even want to be here obviously?”

“He’s here for his sister, that’s all. Let him switch!”

“As you wish, Sir”, Darren replies and walks away to declare his commission.

“I understand that you don’t want the boy near you that insulted you so badly but you’re breaking your own rules here. You made the rules in the first place, so people that got a ticket can put their names on the ticket and no one else can use it as theirs to get a better seat that they didn’t pay for.”

“Thank you very much, Li. I know what I’m doing.”

“Don’t let this idiot get to your head, yeah? Just because one person doesn’t like you, in fact kind of hates you, doesn’t say anything about you as person. He just doesn’t know shit about you.” With that Liam turns around and hushes out of the room, who knows where to. Liam is always on the move. He’s the best assistant Harry could wish for and the fact that Liam’s also one of his best friends makes him even more irreplaceable.

Don’t let him get to your head? Well, the sentence should be: Don’t let him get to your heart. That be more accurate.

But to be honest, Harry thinks he already did, head over heels.

 

 

Louis can’t relax. He’s too annoyed with the situation. Who made this dumb rule that tickets aren’t allowed to be switched? Who had the brilliant idea that it would help in any way to make tickets unassignable? To Louis it’s totally unnecessary.

Lottie next to him is tweeting and messaging with Emily about how shit all of this is and it's terrible fate. When Louis is being honest, he’s quite surprised that Lottie hasn’t tweeted about her embarrassment at the Meet & Greet yet. Louis himself wasn’t even in the mood to tweet. What shall he even post? That he kind of destroyed his sister’s Meet & Greet because he just hates Harry and he couldn’t keep himself together?

Sure his followers would love him even more – not. Especially his new Stylers followers would start a shit storm towards him. They would love to tear him apart for shouting all the insults at their hero. He wouldn’t give them the benefit of the doubt. Aka, what they don’t know won’t hurt them – or better him.

Louis fishes out his iPhone because he could at least tweet that he was in the arena and maybe add a picture from his view. People would probably freak the shit out because real fan girls would immediately notice that he’s front row. His Stylers followers would totally demand any information about the Meet & Greet and they would want pictures and videos so badly. Louis just doesn’t want to have evidence on his phone that he has even been here.

“Excuse me, Sir”, a voice startles him to look up from his phone, tweet already posted. Louis looks up and sees the guard from earlier, Darren, look down at him. “You’re allowed to switch the row. I shall lead your sister’s friend here, so she can take your place while you’ll take hers.”

“Why did you change your mind?” Louis asks, completely confused to why he’d be allowed to switch now.

“I didn’t. It was an order.” By now Lottie looks at her brother questioning. He just shrugs his shoulders at her. “Are you coming, Sir?”

“Yeah, sure.” Louis has never been out of a chair faster than right now. He’s glad that he won’t be front row. Seventh row was still really close but it’s manageable for him, so he thinks.  

As soon as Louis is out of the seat, the guard already starts walking away from the stage. Louis says his goodbye to Lottie and then follows the guard quickly. It’s the first time he hasn’t hugged his sister goodbye but he’s quite sure that Lottie wouldn’t appreciate to be even touched by her brother right now. She’s still angry at him, will be for the next few weeks till Louis does something amazing and then she acts like nothing even has happened. Lottie just might dig up all of it the next time she has to find arguments to fight with him. He can live with that.

When he sees Eleanor he waves at her and she smiles back at him. Emily jumps right out of the seat and runs to Louis.

“Oh my god, are we now allowed to switch places though?”

“Yes, obviously”, Louis answers monotone. He’s kind of glad he can make Emily happy with just something so simple. If he’s quite honest it’s also making him happy because he can hope for some idiots in the front stand up or put up some huge posters to block his view on the stage. Louis wouldn’t even be sad about this.

Emily hugs Louis and then she looks at Darren.

“Do we have to do something or can I just go to my friend?”

“Sure”, the guard says and Emily’s off running towards the stage to sit down next to Lottie.

Louis thanks Darren and then takes his place next to his own best friend. Darren leaves again, maybe to go backstage again or wherever he’s been disappeared to.

"How did it go?" Eleanor asks and Louis really doesn't want to answer that. He doesn't want to lie but also doesn't want to tell his best friend the truth.

"I never go to a Harry Styles concert and Meet & Greet ever again", Louis simply answers. The two of them leave it to that and start talking about other topics till the show starts.

 

 

The opening act comes on stage at exact 6 pm. It's a band Louis has never heard of till now. They aren't even that bad, Louis thinks.

Their show is over faster than Louis has thought it would be and it's kind of sad, really. Mostly because now he'd have to expect the main act soon, that is Harry Styles.

"How was the opening act? I think they were brilliant!" Eleanor shouts over the loud music the arena plays to bridge the time gap till Harry Styles finally enters the stage.

"I agree. I need to look them up later."

"So it's not so bad so far, is it?" Louis knows Eleanor's right. So far the only horrible thing that happened was the meeting with the pop star himself. Apart from this the day hasn't been a total disaster and the opening act was a good compromise to make Manchester not a damn complete waste of time.

Eleanor and Louis go on talking till the lights go out for the second time to announce the coming of the teen idol.  

When the screaming starts in the arena, Louis knows that he's there. On stage.

Harry starts his show with the song that made him famous and Louis is already annoyed because he just hates this song so much. The star waves into the audience and smiles and jumps and is acting like a flicking fucking four year old. He looks through the mass of people, as if he's looking for someone.

Between his songs he's talking about not necessary things and introduces his next song. The fans seem to love it.

When 'Little Things' starts, Harry still seems to look for someone and in the second verse green eyes meet blue.

The rest of the show seems like the boy on stage is just staring at the blue-eyed boy in row seven but Louis knows that every girl in the arena would say that later. Anyway, why would Harry annoying pop star Styles watch him through the rest of his show?

Right, he wouldn't.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been almost two months and I'm terribly sorry! It's just one of my best friend's being in hospital, even in coma, was a hard time for me. He woke up three weeks ago.
> 
> I tried to write the whole time but all I've got together were three sentences. But today I finally finished the chapter. So here it is :)
> 
> All the love.  
> Nes xx
> 
> PS.: GUESS WHO'S GOING TO SEE GERMANY AGAINST ITALY LIVE IN THE ALLIANZ ARENA IN MUNICH TONIGHT? RIGHT ME! ♥ I'M SO HAPPY! :D
> 
> Edited.

I survived, is the first and only thing Louis thinks when the show is finally over. Well, Louis has to be honest, it wasn’t really that bad. Harry sounded live really good and the four songs he kind of liked were now somehow one of his favourite songs and he’s even danced to one of them (though he’d totally deny it when asked about it). The pop star also performed his new song and first single 'Best Song Ever' of his not yet released album. It was a really great song and more mature. Louis hopes internally that the whole album will sound more mature. He might even start liking the prat’s music then.

“Are you still alive?” Eleanor asks and watches him suspiciously.

“Imagine, yes, I survived and I’m still alive.” Louis jokes sarcastically and Eleanor chuckles. She knows Louis good enough to know that he doesn’t even mean it in a bad way. Eleanor even thinks that her best friend actually liked the concert, just doesn’t want to admit it.

“Just admit that you liked Harry live and he isn’t that bad.”

“Sod off, El!” Louis won’t confess shit. Maybe she was kind of right, yeah but still. No need to declare his undying love to Harry Styles immediately. That came close to saying he liked the pop star’s music somehow, for Louis at least. Eleanor wouldn’t understand. Of course not. Louis doesn’t understand a lot of the shit himself. He just knows he hates the guy, can’t stand him for dear god.

“As you wish”, El says when the mass of fans starts to swarm out of the arena.

When the arena is already half empty and the stage is getting vacated, cleaned and decomposed, Lottie and Emily walk towards them. The two of them still are in a state of exhilaration.

“… and oh gosh, then he looked in our direction all the time. I bet you’re totally his type Lottie!” Emily shouts and jumps around like a little kid and Louis is so confused about girls right now. He’s gay, sure but sometimes girls just act totally immature and annoying.

“Oh shut up, Em. I’m for sure not his type.”

“How can you know, idiot? I swear to god he stared at our block all the time and I’m quite sure it was directly at you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Harry just looks around. Everyone in this block could say, he just looked at them the whole time. Bet Harry didn’t really see anyone in the crowd good enough to just stare at this person for the entire show. Anyway, why would he?”

“Because you’re beautiful!”

“Not beautiful enough to be in Harry’s league”, Lottie says and kind of ends the stupid discussion. Louis’ sister is right, he thinks. Harry could have looked at anyone. Didn’t he think himself that the pop star seemed to just stare at him the whole time? So, yes, for once his sister did think rational, logical.

Eleanor next to him just smiles politely and pushes him softly towards the aisle. He almost stumbles over a post of the seat at the end of the row and just doesn’t fall because he leans towards the tier.

They make it out of the arena without another incident.

Emily’s mother is already waiting for them at the way to the covered car park of the arena.

The two younger girls say their goodbyes to Eleanor and also mutter an almost inaudible bye towards Louis, who doesn’t get looked at nor gets a hug. Louis knows he has fucked up big time tonight. Making Lottie really angry at her big brother is really hard to do and so it’s indeed rare. Today Louis just really did something he shouldn’t have done. He even feels a little bad about it. Mostly because he doesn’t want to be on radio silence with his favourite sibling. Louis doesn’t think he did anything wrong, really. He was just honest. Maybe a little brisk and a tad too rude but in Louis’ opinion Harry Styles should accept it as it is. Even think about it and learn something out of it. What he shall learn, Louis isn’t that sure though. Louis isn’t even sure why the fuck he even thinks about Harry Styles. This so called idol and famous pop star isn’t exactly on his list with people that are important to him, nor on a list with people he’d like to meet ever again. Sure, he hasn’t really been talking a real conversation with the guy but to Louis his image was enough. When he was being honest, he doesn’t want to see beneath celebrities’ images. He’s just so sure that there’s nothing to be found. Empty shells, spending too much money on things they don’t need and looking down at anyone who doesn’t earn at least a million a year, that’s what celebrities are to Louis. Nothing more.

Well, Louis could definitely think about better people to talk to. So, yes, Harry Styles definitely isn’t on any of Louis’ lists. Except maybe the ‘Things-I-Got-Lottie-Angry-With’ list. And there's nothing else much on there, really.

Eleanor looks at him questioning as soon as the girls got into the car.

“Don’t look at me like this, El.”

“You fucked up big time, didn’t you?”

“No comment.”

“What did you do, Louis? It was just one bloody evening! Couldn’t you get your shit together?” El sounds annoyed. Louis doesn’t want to tell her. He already got Lottie against him, he for sure didn’t need Eleanor being angry at him for scolding the untouchable Harry Styles.

“Not gonna answer.”

“Did you insult Harry, or what?” Eleanor jokes.

Awkward silence.

“NO WAY, YOU DIDN’T!”

“Shut up, El, okay? I've already got my deserved punishment with Lottie being mad at me for weeks now. I don’t need you telling me how much of an idiot I am, thank you very much.”

“Fine. I pretend like this isn’t the biggest scandal of all Louis Tomlinson scandals of all time.”

“Stop sounding so dramatic. I was just being honest, that’s all.”

“Yeah sure”, El says sarcastically and with that their conversation is finished. Louis asks which club they want to go to and Eleanor fishes her phone out of her bag to check the address of the club she has looked up back home in London two days ago.

 

 

Harry gets backstage and feels kind of exhausted.

Harry’s fucked.

He wishes it was the right way but it isn’t. The curly boy is feeling down.

There comes the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen to one of his meet & greets and then it turns out that the blue-eyed boy hates him. The pop star has felt so dumbfounded when the boy has insulted him before the show, in a room with his bodyguards, extra security people, Liam and the guys little sister. Harry can’t believe that even though all of the things he has thrown at him, he wasn’t able to detach his eyes from the boy through the whole concert. He’s not sure if he has been too obvious with his glares but most girls in this block where Louis has sat might just have thought that he was looking directly at them. So whatever.

Niall storms into the room and grins ear to ear like a god damn Cheshire cat.

“Harry, are you finally ready to go?” The blonde boy asks with an Irish accent. It’s his birthday and they will go out tonight. Harry’s guitarist and best friend is overexcited. They aren’t going out much anymore. It just wasn’t possible anymore with how famous Harry has become. Just three years ago Harry was still able to walk through the streets somewhere without getting recognised or people really didn’t know him because they didn’t watch X Factor. Today he’s stalked everywhere he goes. At every corner he walks by there seem to be people interested in him and asking for pictures and autographs. His privacy became non-existent and he had to hide all of his secrecies behind closed doors.

He didn’t care much about it though. It wasn’t like he had someone else to hide. All there was to it was a little secret. Harry’s always honest to his fans and still he has this dirty little secret. Okay, it’s not that dirty. It’s just him being bisexual and not straight like everyone thinks. Till now it never was a question, no reason to label himself anything. Harry has never said he’s straight or bisexual or anything else. He lets people think what they want. Labels aren’t his thing. Love isn’t something you’re able to label, so Harry thinks.

Harry grabs his jacket.

“I’m ready”, he exclaims and smiles because birthdays are holy to him. Birthdays always allow him to go out and give a flying nothing if he’s found by paparazzi and fans, or not. He’s going to celebrate his best friends’ birthday as if it was the last day he’s allowed to be outside – what he literally is. At least as just him, Harry – not the infamous Harry Styles, the pop star.

“About time, Styles.” Before they can exit the building – of course they are using a secret exit, so they won’t run into some fans that still hang around the arena to get a glimpse at private-Harry – they are stopped by Liam.

“Guys, where are you about to go to?”

“Partying of course. It’s my 20th birthday today!”

“Can I come?” Liam asks and Harry almost laughs out loud. Harry’s personal assistant is more than that. He’s also a friend of his and also of Niall. There’s actually no reason for him to ask them if he’s allowed to tag along. Harry and Niall just are confused that prude and un-spontaneous Liam Payne wants to go partying with them.

“Sure”, Harry and Niall say simultaneously. They grab their friend in between them and leave the arena, followed by Harry and Niall’s bodyguards Paul and Mark.

 

 

Louis and Eleanor found a cute little club which is very much jam-packed by now. It appears to be one of the most highly coveted clubs in town. The two of them are here for at least three hours already and the place seems to fill up more and more. 

Is there a celebrity in here or did I miss a sign saying ‘booze for free today’?

Louis thinks that both of his thoughts are stupid. It might just be a really well patronised club, that’s all.

“I’m at the bar if you're looking for me”, Eleanor screams into her best friends’ ear and leaves Louis in the dancing crowd. A lot girls already tried to flirt with him but he politely warded them off. He doesn’t like to let girls think they had a chance with him.

Now Louis’ dancing with a guy he didn’t understand the name because it’s too loud in the club to understand anything when you’re not interfering the other ones’ sphere of personal privacy. Louis’ 51 percent sure his name’s something with L as well.

“Where’re you from?” The guy asks and dances closer to Louis than he did a few minutes ago. Well, at least now Louis does know that he wants something from him.

“’M from Doncaster. What about you?” Louis replies and dances closer to the guy whose name he still doesn’t know for sure. Maybe he should ask him again later.

“From Manchester. Why are you so far away from home? Are you on holidays here or something?”

“No, was here for a concert and to babysit my underage sister at that said event.”

“What concert?”

“Do you know Harry Styles, the infamous pop star and womaniser?” Louis’ opponent rolls with the eyes and sighs.

Does that mean he dislikes the guy as much as Louis does?

“I know him. Not much of a fan. What about you?”

“Not at all. Had to bear a meet & greet with him and the first thing I did was telling him what I really think about him.” Louis’ a bit tipsy. He’d never tell anyone about that incident. It was kind of embarrassing that he got his sister to be ashamed of him. "Think I shouldn't have done that though."

“Sounds horrible. Glad you survived.”

“Me too, believe me”, he says.

The music in the club is amazing and Louis’ dancing since he entered the dancefloor. He enjoys the attention he gets. Also the ladies’. But really, when the guy – he’s dancing with now – approached, he’d been utterly excited.

Eleanor and he will stay at a hotel in Manchester tonight because they’ll be too drunk to drive. It also will be a bit too late for the travel back home to London. And to say it in Eleanor’s words ‘Loulou, I wanna have some fun. Don’t destroy this for me.’ So they even booked two double rooms just to be sure. Although Louis' sure that Eleanor is so deeply into Dean that with having fun she just means leading someone on but how can he be sure with that girl? Anyway, El knew Louis wouldn't hesitate to take some guy back to the hotel room and she was the last person to be in the way of Louis' one night stands.

Now Louis is glad about it. He quite likes that guy that moves against him. The best part is the guy doesn’t live near him. Manchester isn’t really around the corner from London, so he’d be safe from desperate stalking and begging for dates. Dating just isn’t something Louis does. Dating is for people with relationships and relationships are for the weak. All of Louis’ relationships have taught him that you always just give everything away and make compromises and in the end you are the one with the broken heart. Good friends and one night stands, that’s Louis’ compromise.

“So you’re from Doncaster?”

“Yeah but I live and study in London.” Louis hopes this already tells the guy he’s not in for relationships and just wants a decent fuck for the night. Not that he gets the idea of dating him and maybe a long distance relationship.

“London must be amazing. I’ve only ever been there once for a concert when I was seventeen.”

“Glad you’re not seventeen anymore”, Louis leers, hoping the other one follows the ambiguity and gets what he means. As it seems the other boy catches on with what Louis means and almost laughs from the saucy remark.

“I’m glad, too.”

“What was your name again?” Louis blurts because he just can’t take it anymore not to know. Maybe it's also the thing that he's got too much to drink by now and can't coordinate his words anymore.

“You’re fast in forgetting, I see.”

“It’s not like that”, Louis starts. “It’s just so bloody loud in here, I didn’t catch the whole name. I know it starts with L as well.”

“It’s alright. I’m Lance”, Louis opposite says and smiles.

So Louis was right. He’s glad he didn’t embarrass himself with remembering the wrong beginning of the boy's name.

“I’ll remember that one.” Louis will. Maybe not forever but for now. It’s always like that. He finds some guy in a club or bar, goes home with him and the next morning it’s a quick goodbye. Then he never sees them again (at least not like that, maybe once or twice on the streets) and a few weeks or months later it’s hard for him to remember their names already. Just some he knows by heart. All of them are kind of friends of his now.

“Will you drive back home tonight?” Lance suddenly asks and Louis almost laughs because to him it’s quite a stupid question. Every sober and reasonable person would know that it makes no sense to drive back home after partying. Especially because London's kilometres away from there. It’d take Eleanor and him hours to get home and by then it’ll be morning already. But Louis doesn't think any of them is really sober anymore by now.

"No, I'll stay at a hotel."

"Really, will you?" The other guy smirks and Louis knows what this means. He's got himself a fuck for the night. Achievement completed.

"Yes, I will. In a room with a king sized bed all for me, myself and I. What a pity, isn't it?"

"Could change that." Smirking again. Lance really got the whole point. So Louis hopes at least. To Louis Lance doesn't look like someone who's into relationships either. It's not because he's a stereotypical macho kind of guy but more of how he acts and how he moves. It's kind of like Louis approaches someone he wants, it's how he talks with someone he wants. That's it.

"So we could", Louis says and smirks right back at the guy he will take back to his hotel room tonight.

"When will we go then?" Lance asks straight forward and Louis notices his bladder for the first time this night. He hasn't went to the lavatory in hours. The alcohol didn't really help the thing either.

"Can go as soon as I've been to the toilets. 'M back in a sec." With that Louis leaves and walks over to the bar where he finds Eleanor immediately. She's the one surrounded by a lot of guys, all staring at her and trying to get her attention. It's kind of funny when Louis thinks about it. He never has thought about it how similar he and Eleanor actually are. Although Eleanor isn't just into one night stands. She's got Dean already anyway.

"Excuse me." Louis has to say to squash trough the crowd of guys. "Sorry", he says when he steps on some feet and then rushes further. When he reaches Eleanor, he tabs on her shoulder. She doesn't notice him immediately. "El." His best friend turns around, smiling at him, cup with alcohol in the right hand and left hand on one of the guys behind her. Eleanor might be a little too drunk to remember that back home in London she has someone waiting for her who's kind of her boyfriend. And anyway Louis' quite confused since that guy doesn't really look like someone Eleanor would fancy. "El, I found a guy I'm taking back to the hotel. Going to the lavatory now and then 'm leaving. Are you alright on your own or shall we leave together?"

El looks back at the guy she's holding on to. He seems to be more sober than she does and to Louis this is a pretty good thing, or maybe it's a really bad thing. Louis really can't tell because he's too drunk to seriously think about it rationally right now.

"Gonna go to the lavatory, too, then coming with you. Tom here will accompany us, right Tom?" El now looks at the guy with black hair and blue eyes and yes, he's definitely not her type but she's probably too drunk to actually care.

Tom nods slightly and all guys that have surrounded Eleanor the whole time leave one by one, probably noticing that there's nothing to get here anymore.

"Y-You", El starts and stares at Tom. "Stay here, wait for me. 'M back in a few." She puts the cup on the bar, kisses Tom on the cheek and then grabs Louis' hand and drags him to the lavatories.

They pass the VIP lounge which is bursting at the seam with people dancing, drinking, laughing and chatting uncontrollable. Louis just can make out some blonde guy with some weird paper hat on his head. He can't really see much before he's dragged further by El.

"So what about that Tom guy."

"Oh, he's brilliant. We like the same movies and same music. Told him about you and you being gay and he's totally okay. Not some homophobic arse. Really like the guy."

"Ya know he's not ya type, right?"

"He isn't? Wouldn't take him with me if he wasn't would I now?" Louis just rolls his eyes at his drunk best friend.

"What about Dean? You remember the guy back home in London that you're obsessed about?"

"Oh. Shit." It just hit her apparently. "Got to leave Tom here then."

When they finally reach the doors to the lavatory, they hug and part their ways.

Louis opens the door to the men's loo, walks in and runs into someone.

"Arse-", Louis starts but when he looks up, he stops because he's staring right into the beautiful emerald green eyes of Harry bloody god damn Styles.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been over a month and I apologise deeply! I'm really sorry. It's just so that I really have no time left. I either go to school or work and when home I'm just eating and maybe watching some episode of a show and then I go to bed. hahahaha so well, yes, I have almost no free time and since my exam is in just 5 weeks, I even have less time.
> 
> I try to finish chapter seven in my holidays and upload it somewhen in June. And after the 4th of July I have more and more time to write and hope I don't have to let you wait so long for the next chapter.
> 
> I love you all for keeping up with me and I hope you enjoy the story.  
> Love,  
> Nes xx
> 
> P.S.: If you find any mistake in the fic, please, let me know. I'm German and I do make mistakes, even if I let my Welsh bestie proof-read. It's always nice to get corrections, so I can improve my English :)  
> Oh and maybe leave a Kudo or comment? I would really appreciate it!
> 
> Edited.

"Oops", Harry says and Louis' so in shock that for a moment he forgets that he hates the guy he's confronted with now.

Again.

"Hi", it bubbles out of Louis' mouth before he even realises it.

_Dammit. Louis, you don't like the guy. You insulted him in front of your sister who's undyingly in love with the pop star. Why ya tryin' to make convo?_

"Going to insult me again?"

"Guess you've got enough of the truth for the day."

Silence.

Raised eyebrow towards Louis.

"I just have one question", the pop star starts. "Do you always run around, telling everyone what you think about them straight to their faces without actually knowing them?"

"Do I have to know you? If I'm being honest I don't want to. I'm pretty sure there's nothing for me to find, so why even try?"

"You're very judgemental, you know. You have an image of someone in your head and you're not even trying to find out that they aren't actually like that." Louis wants to laugh at this because he's never been wrong before. Every person he had an idea of how they were, were just exactly how he imagined them to be in the end. Most people actually disappointed him even. So why try to get to know any person for real? It'll always just lead to disappointment and Louis was already fed up with the feeling of that. He had enough of that in his life already. Louis might not know Harry Styles personally, actually doesn't know anything about him other than what media says but to Louis it was enough to get the picture. Rich womaniser playing with every woman who's willed to come along and let the pop star in their panties for some time. He's having some public relationship with them and then he let's them fall back down into reality which is him not being interested in any stupid real relationship.

That's even worse than what he himself is like, Louis thinks. He at least gives everyone the knowledge of him being unavailable, him being just after a fuck for the night, nothing emotional. Harry doesn't. He's playing some fucked up game and Louis doesn't know how girls can be into that kind of thing. How can it be attractive to someone, trying to change someone who makes it so clear that he's just being the person he really is?

Louis doesn't get the whole drama. Doesn't get the obsession about Harry Styles. Sure he's good looking, but to Louis that's all there is to the guy.

"Gonna tell me now that you're a saint, not a sinner? That you're a good guy? That all the media has to say about you is some crap they just make up? My deepest apologise that I don't wanna get to know the 'real' you."

Louis walks past the curly one. He's in the lavatory for a reason. Besides, Harry must have somewhere to be, right? Probably being in the VIP area and finding some new girlfriend. Or weren't girls from random clubs his thing, just models and other singers like that Taylor Swift girl Louis couldn't stand either? Louis actually doesn't care about that. He doesn’t care about Harry Styles at all.

"Never claimed to be a saint but you don't know anything about me and still you judge me as if you know me since I was a little boy", Harry says and Louis is perplexed for a second because he didn't expect the pop star to still be there.

_Why can't this boy just leave? Leave him alone in general?_

"I know enough." Louis doesn't think he sounds convenient but what does he care. All he wants to do is leaving the restroom, bring Eleanor safely to the hotel; take that cute guy to his hotel room and then have a nice fuck all night long. That's what he wants, not some annoying conversation with Harry Styles.

"What exactly do you know then?" the celebrity asks and Louis just wishes for someone to enter the room, for someone disturbing this private bubble the two of them got into. Louis doesn't want to be in a bubble with Harry Styles, not even a metaphorical one.

Harry walks towards him and it makes the older boy uneasy. God be dammed, he's peeing right now and Harry fuck you Styles is disturbing pretty much. That's at least what he'd call it.

"You should at least try to get to know me. Spend some time following my everyday life. I think then you can judge me as much as you wish but till then you don't know anything at all about me." Louis blinks, once, twice. Did he hear correctly? Harry pop star Styles is standing in a club's restroom while he's peeing and kind of asks him to spend some time with him? What even is this? If it wasn't so stupid, Louis could think Harry Styles just asked him for a date. But firstly, Louis doesn't do dates and secondly Harry Styles knows he hates his guts. Funny that.

Louis blinks again because he can't really make up his mind about this. Can't decide if it's worth it, changing his own rules. Didn't he always say he won't ever try again to get to know someone? Never ever, would he try to see behind someone's façade and look if there's more to find? Louis' still sure there's nothing underneath the skin of Harry Styles but emptiness. Somehow though, Louis has the sudden want to know for sure. Have a last try of finding out that not everyone's just like the outside makes them out to be. Then he thinks about Lottie. How he made her be ashamed of him today and how much she loves the guy with the green eyes that somehow stare at him through the mirror and it's scaring him. It's scary, mostly because he's in a damn loo and peeing right about now. It's the weirdest situation Louis' ever been in.

"You want me to follow you around like a puppy?" Louis asks in disbelief, zipping his trouser and strolling to the sinks at the other side of the room, passing Harry. Louis doesn't want to look at him but somehow he just can't help himself, he has to. He watches the pop star's reaction and it's ridiculous, really because the younger one starts to giggle and follows Louis to the sink.

"No, I want you to try to open your mind. Try to see me for who I am and maybe then you can understand me better. Maybe we could even become friends." Friends? Louis Tomlinson, gay guy and random university student for Drama & Theatre. What does Harry – straight as fuck, good reputation as bad boy and womaniser, with millions on his bank account because being a pop star – Styles want from him?

Louis is about to say no immediately but something stops him. Something tells him he could challenge the celebrity. Get something out of it because Louis is so damn sure he won't ever be friends with Harry Styles, not even ever like him. So yes, Louis hesitates to say no. He thinks about the chances he has. Harry wants him to try to see the real him, well Louis could at least try, for a price of course because he still can't think of reasons he would cave in. So why not ask for a challenge, when he's so certain to win it anyway.

"I could try, yes, but what do I get for succeeding? What do I get when you can really convince me that you're different than all the other shallow and empty shells?" Harry stares at him in the mirror. He probably didn't even expect Louis to even consider the idea. Louis chuckles, while washing his hands and drying them on a paper towel. His chuckle seems never-ending and the older boy isn’t sure if it's actually that funny or if he's just too drunk for a clear mind.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Harry asks and Louis is so perplex that his obnoxious chuckle stops immediately. Is famous Harry Styles seriously going to accept a challenge by a mortal gay student? It feels so preposterous that Louis feels the need to laugh but he stops himself before a sound leaves his lips. Suddenly he thinks about what his award could be when Harry would not be able to convince the blue-eyed boy that he's different than he thinks he is. It's really hard to think about it because Louis just knows Harry's gonna fail and he needs something pretty good as prize.

Then suddenly he thinks about Lottie again and how he made her feel in front of Harry and all his security people. He remembers that she's pissed as hell at him and that will last for some time, maybe even got a huge crack into their close, loving relationship. So all of a sudden Louis knows what he wants, he knows it's splendid because now he's gonna win this for Lottie.

"Well, you go try to convince me that you're more than what media says about you and if you can't I want you to befriend my sister."

"Your sister?" Harry raises an eyebrow at him. Yes, sister.

"I think I owe her something after tonight and you'd be a dream come true to her."

"I don't have to date her, right?" Again, Louis is close to open his mouth and laugh because does Harry Styles really think he'd want him to date his little sister, his favourite sister? Louis isn't really sure if he even wants Harry to be a friend of Lottie's because he just can't stand the guy and is sure this won't ever change but since his sibling loves the pop star, why not give it a shot. Let Lottie find out herself about Harry being a shallow soul.

"How can you even think that I would let you date my sister? First, you're four years older and in her age it's a massive age gap and second, I can't stand you one bit, why would I want a brother-in-law whom I hate to death?" Harry looks pained but it doesn't matter much to Louis at that moment. A second later the famous celebrity looks collected again.

"Wouldn't think of it. She's not really my type anyway." Yeah right, because she's blonde and blue-eyed. That's just so Taylor-Swift-like and you haven't been with that media-bitch for ages. Yeah, right. Louis just glances at Harry in disbelief but lets it fall soon.

"Yeah, right", Louis then says though. He's not sure if he had better shut his mouth but he doesn't really give a damn about it. This is just Harry Styles, some singing lad who's being a media marionette. The blue-eyed boy could think about more important people where he wouldn't directly speak his mind but that was different with Harry here, obviously.

"Well, accepted but what if I really can show you that there is a real-me behind all the media image there is? What will I get when I actually win?"

"What do you think about then?"

"How about you just owe me something when I win and like you wished I'm going to befriend your darling sister when I fail. Deal?"

"Deal", Louis says and now he's actually not that sure anymore if this was so intelligent. He starts to think about what would happen if Harry's really going to succeed, if he really can change his mind about the pop star. What would be the thing he'd owe him? Is this whole game really worth getting Lottie some wish she has for 2 and a half years?

While Louis is thinking about it further, Harry types away a message on his phone. When Louis notices he can't help himself but question who it is that Harry is texting.

 _Probably one of his rich friends or potential future model or singer girlfriends for a few weeks_ , Louis just thinks and let's that thought slip his mind. It's not like it's important, is it? Why would it matter to him who Harry is texting to?

When Harry finished his message, he looks up to find Louis staring at him questioning.

"That was just Niall, my best friend and guitarist. He's looking for me. Told me a lot of girls are asking for me to come back to the VIP room", Harry answers an unspoken question.

 _Of course he had to mention that a lot of girls are awaiting his return from the restroom_ , Louis thinks sarcastically. He wonders how many minutes they are in this room together already.

"Like I'd care", the older boy starts. "I don't know how long we're in here already but I know that it'll end now since I'm going to leave right about now. And isn't there a place you're awaited? We both better leave."

He's not sure why Harry stayed behind in the first place. The pop star was about to leave the loo when Louis came in. There has been no reason to stay and start a conversation with the shorter boy.

"Yes, I'm obviously expected to come back to the table soon. I should head back soon but first I need your number."

_Wait. What?_

"What for?" Louis is confused. Actually he's in really massive confusion. What would Harry rich and famous Styles need his number for?

"There's a challenge going on between us from now on, you remember? You've just agreed to it a few minutes ago." Louis stares at the taller boy in disbelief for like the hundredth time this night. He can't believe that he surely means it, that he seriously got himself into this shit.

_Damn Lottie!_

Hopefully it's worth the whole drama and he wins this crappy challenge thing that was kind of his own idea. He could bite his arse that he didn't think about it twice before agreeing to some deal that doesn't sound so amazing anymore now that he thinks about it in a more sober state of mind.

"Right."

"I think we need a timescale for the challenge."

"A timescale?" Louis feels himself getting more and more confused. Maybe it's the alcohol or maybe just the fact that he can't really value the whole damn situation. Of all people it's the most surreal thing to meet Harry Styles in a random club. Even worse is the fact that now he has a deal going on with the pop star and is about to exchange numbers with him.

What even would Lottie do to him to get to his phone if she found out?

Louis isn't really sure he wants to know. He's actually one hundred percent sure he won't tell any of his sisters about this new acquaintance before nothing else is manageable anymore. Hopefully this really doesn't blow up into his face later on but right now the older one's mind isn't able to deliberate anything at all.

The blue-eyed boy almost missed the other one's answer of his baffled question but he snaps out of his thoughts just in time for him to hear the words spoken out loud.

"Yes, like a date when the challenge ends and one of us wins. It's better to agree on a time now before we postpone the date just because none of us wants to lose the thing, am I right?" Louis just nods. He wouldn't have given it a second thought, wouldn't have exchanged numbers or anything, really. For him all of this was more like a joke that turned out more serious than he would’ve thought and he's not sure if this ends up to be the first-ranked thing on the list for 'worst ideas of his life', or not.

"What stretch of time do you have in mind?"

"How about six months? For most people this is more than enough to really get to know someone. For some people even enough to already ask their partner to marry them." Louis stares at Harry startled because what the hell did he just say? Why did he start about relationships now? It's not like this is anything but a farce and most probably to entertain the bored shallow celebrity. Maybe Harry has already figured out that Louis was gay and now tries to make fun out of it? Or maybe Louis was just thinking too much about some things in general.

"Why not", Louis just says absent-minded.

"Wonderful", Harry smiles brightly down at him and then pulls out his phone from his trouser pocket. "Here, just type in your number."

The shorter boy takes the phone and types in his number and texts himself a short 'hi' and with a 'here ya go' he gives back the iPhone again. Harry nods at him and puts away the device again.

Smiling, Harry opens the door for Louis and lets him exit first. Louis doesn't really notice Harry's good mood, didn't notice any glance by the younger boy the whole time. He's too far into his thoughts and the want to finally leave and anyway if there was just a moment for Louis to stare at Harry then it really just was because confusion made him stare at him like a deer caught in the headlights. It wasn't at all because the pop star really was good looking, even beautiful.

He was though, Louis had to admit.

 

They exit the lavatory together when a fully drunk guy passes them, rushing to the toilets.

"Some people just never know when to stop." Harry sounds affected. Like it really concerns him that people get so drunk and it's the first thing since the X Factor times (yes, he had to watch the whole series when Harry Styles was a participant) that Harry surprises Louis truly. Before he can even ask about it, someone runs into him, almost setting him flying to the ground.

Louis looks up, just to find an acquainted face.

Leon, no, Lucas, no, Logan, no. Well, Louis can't actually lie about it that he wasn't interested enough in the guy that he remembered his name and after all that happened tonight, mostly the bullshit in the lavatory, didn't really help his mind to remember it any better.

"I was looking everywhere for you. Already thought you might have left without me." The boy looks quite unsettled back and forth between Harry and Louis. "Wait, you look quite familiar."

And suddenly Louis remembers his name, does know that he should leave as soon as he can and not look back at someone he can't stand, period.

"Lance, I've just been in the loo but we can go back to the hotel now." Louis doesn't really take a heed of Harry's presence anymore. He just wants him to finally disappear, so he can live on his life like nothing happened.

"Great, waited for long enough to go to _bed_ already."

Harry clears his throat and at this Louis pays attention to him again, turning around to look at him.

"It was really nice to meet you twice tonight. I think this is where our path separate. I wish you a very _pleasant_ night." Harry sounds on edge for the first time tonight. He didn't even sound that aggressively when he did insult him earlier this afternoon. Maybe Harry Styles the womaniser just realised that Louis Tomlinson is in fact the opposite of straight, one hundred percent gay and just maybe Harry Styles was homophobic. At least that would fit into Louis' image of the pop star.

Without giving Louis the chance to say a word, Harry Styles leaves the two boys behind and disappears into the crowd of dancing figures, most probably walking straight back to the VIP area, to all the girls awaiting him.

In fact, Harry does but his mind isn't there anymore. Actually his mind is just running about the fact that Louis Tomlinson is in fact gay.


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ages later, here I am again, uploading a new chapter. I hope ya not killing me anytime soon because you had to wait so long for this. I passed my exam so now I've got more time. I swear I wanted to upload this in June but I studied so much so I'd pass this fucking exam and now that I did I'm happy I did study instead of writing. After the 4th of July I was too scared that I failed that I had a writers block. On friday I got my result and I was so happy all weekend but I had to work on friday, saturday and sunday, also yesterday so I couldn't finish the chapter. Today I did and here it is. Yay. :) 
> 
> I love you all for keeping up with me anyway and I hope you enjoy the story so far.  
> Love,  
> Nes xx
> 
> P.S.: If you find any mistake in the fic, please, let me know. I'm German and I do make mistakes, even if I let my Welsh bestie proof-read. It's always nice to get corrections, so I can improve my English :)  
> Oh and maybe leave a Kudo or comment? I would really appreciate it!

Louis wakes up the next morning, more confused than ever, with a bestial headache. He isn't really sure where he is right now but looking around the room, lets him guess that he's in a hotel room – most probably in Manchester. Eleanor and him planned on staying in a hotel after they went clubbing nevertheless. He even planned on taking someone back to his room last night.

With a banging head, he remembers everything that happened last night: The disaster at the Meet & Greet, the concert itself, the clubbing and finally meeting Harry Styles again in the lavatory of the club he and Eleanor went to. There is also a small memory of some other guy he met while clubbing back in his head. Logan, Landon, no Louis is quite sure his name was Lance. Actually it doesn't really matter to him because he'd never see him again anyway.

Then he remembers what happened after Harry had left Louis and Lance alone, remembers how Eleanor stumbled out of the Lady's room and had to hold onto her best friend, so she wouldn't tip over and fall head first down to the ground. Eleanor has been drunk like hell last night. She probably drank twice as much as Louis did and he thinks his amount on alcohol was already crazy enough for one person. Let's be honest, he had agreed to a deal with Harry Louis-Tomlinson-hates-him-so-much Styles just because he was basically unable to make important decisions. It's not possible for Louis to have done that in a sober kind of condition, really.

Eleanor wasn't just drunk last night, though. She's been totally hammered and Louis knows because she let them all know and maybe remember that moment for a very long time.

 

***Flashback***

> Louis and Lance have just agreed to leave to the hotel and help Eleanor come along, as much as you can help a completely drunk person walk anywhere. Before they could even try and get Eleanor between the two of them to steady her while walking, she starts shivering for a moment and then clears out her bowels onto Lance's feet.
> 
> "Oh god, I'm so sorry." Now it's time for Louis to feel embarrassed and he thinks he deserves it very well after all the shit he actually pulled that night. It somehow was like justice of some vis major.
> 
> "Yeah, it's alright", Lance assures Louis. Both of them look down at Eleanor, who has let herself slide to the ground on the wall behind her. She looks miserable and Louis thinks it'll be the worst time to take a fuck back to the hotel and have his fun while his best friend might get another shiver attack in the room next to him. He would probably not witness anything and he thinks it's not really safe for El to be on her own tonight.
> 
> Louis gets ripped out of his thoughts when Lance speaks again.
> 
> "Louis. Ya know I'd love to come back to the hotel with ya but I think you should take care of this one." He points with his finger towards Louis' best friend and shows a pitying smile.
> 
> "I think you're right." That's all Louis says. He kind of has no words left right now. It was fucked up justice, wasn't it? Louis has fucked up the Meet & Greet for Lottie, so El has fucked up his night's fuck. Well, Louis thinks he's even with that mysterious judicial system now. "I should help Eleanor back to the hotel and then take care of her till she sobered up."
> 
> "I'm gonna help you, get her to the car", Lance says and Louis doesn't understand which car he means. Louis' car is back at the arena, they let it there because they knew that they wouldn't be able to drive anymore after partying hard anyway. They had already planned to use a cab to get back to the hotel (with or without a night's fuck).
> 
> Lance is already about to walk towards Eleanor to help her to get up from the ground when Louis still doesn't understand what car Lance has been talking about. He for sure won't get into a car that Lance probably will be driving himself (if he's talking about his own car) because Louis doesn't want to die yet. Louis thinks 21 is much too young to die and anyway he would never ever get into a car with a drunk person at the wheel. No exceptions made.
> 
> Louis isn't drunk enough not to recognise what he's doing. Well, if someone asked he was totally rat-arsed when he made the stupid challenge thing with Harry Styles but no one needs to know, right?
> 
> "What car?" Louis chirps and feels like a complete idiot.
> 
> "I've called a taxi when you've been gone to the restroom for more than five minutes. Thought you'd be back much earlier but I guess the taxi driver just waits and waits out there."
> 
> Louis laughs. Of course Lance wouldn't be that irresponsible. At least he didn't seem like someone that would drink and drive. Apparently Louis has been right about him.
> 
> "Well, either he's still out there waiting for us or someone else stole our cab. Everything's possible." Now Louis feels like it's safe to go and help Eleanor up the ground, so he walks towards her and puts his arms around her shoulder.
> 
> "If that happened we still can call a new one. When it should end up being the busiest day for taxis in Manchester's history, well, then I still can call my flat mate."
> 
> "Interesting."
> 
> Lance shrugs and smiles sheepishly at him. He glares at Louis for mere seconds before he comes to help him steady Eleanor, who gets up completely clumsy, lanky limbs going all over the place, unsure what to do with her legs. She looks a lot like a newborn calf that doesn't know how to get up and walk just yet.
> 
> "WhearesDeeeeean?" Eleanor lulls incomprehensible.
> 
> "Is she always as drunk as that?" Lance looks at Louis, quite the confusion in his eyes visible.
> 
> "No, I just think Dean and her still haven't sorted it out. Ya know El isn't the best in just speaking her mind, letting Dean know she wants to be more than friends. She's totally racking her head about this and it's quit ridiculous if you ask me." Louis loves her though, even if she's annoying him about Dean for almost a year, just because she can't collect her courage and make a first step.
> 
> "You sound like she really means a lot to you though", Lance says and Louis smiles because of course that dork does. She's been his best friend since the first day of sixth grade. They've been together through thick and thin, have always been there for each other no matter what.
> 
> "Yes, I love her. Well, not like that, though. She's my best friend for 5 years already. We kind of know everything about each other." Louis looks at Lance but he just nods and helps Louis to get Eleanor up from the floor. They should leave and get to the cab as soon as they can. The taxi Lance called might be gone by now though but still, El should get to the hotel room and lie down and sleep.

 ***End of Flashback***

 

Louis also remembers how they had to call a new taxi and had to wait a couple of minutes for a new one to arrive, the journey to the hotel and how Lance had even helped Louis to bring Eleanor to her room. After they had laid her down on the bed, she immediately had passed out. Lance said his goodbye but not before he asked Louis for his number and of course Louis gave him his number, typing in numbers with clouded view. He had got very tired but it had been 4 am in the morning, so it wasn't really surprising.

After Lance had left, Louis had fell onto the bed besides Eleanor and immediately fell into a deep sleep, happy that he didn't have to wake up anytime soon.

Louis then shakes Eleanor awake and eventually they get dressed, pack their things together and leave Manchester in the direction of London.

 

The next day Louis had to get up early in the morning because he had agreed to an early shift.

 _Stupid, Alisha,_ he thinks to himself. Actually it's her shift because Louis never does the morning shifts but she had called in sick yesterday. _Like fuck she is!_

Louis doesn't like getting up at such an ungodly time. He's so used to waking up at 8 am the earliest. With a morning shift in sight he got up at 4:30 this morning. He tried not to wake Zayn while getting ready for work. Louis knew only too well how Z’d react to getting woken up before he was ready to. If to say he was the biggest drama queen existing, that would be a big understatement.

Just on time he walked through the door of the coffee shop. Some guy he's never seen before is standing behind the counter and preparing the coffee machine.

When Louis approaches the boy turns around and Louis feels like falling down a big hole with no ground in sight. The boy is very good looking. No, actually more than that. Just dead arse gorgeous and stunning. Totally Louis’ type. Muscular, tall, brown hair and daring green eyes.

“The coffee machine is not ready yet but maybe you'd like to order something else?” The green-eyed guy asks and now Louis feels more like laughing because what?  that.er.n Jonah before. Definetkdperovery morninh in sigjt

“Oh, no, I'm not a customer. I'm Louis. I'm a co-worker actually.”

“I'm so sorry. I'm Jonah, the one with the morning shifts.” Louis thinks about how he could take every morning shift possible just to see that gorgeous one again.

“Nice to meet you. I'm the one with the evening shifts, except for the weekends of course.” Louis sounds ridiculous. It's not like he just works at the evenings. He's also got midday shifts but still he's never seen Jonah before. Definitely he'd remember that.

“Nice come back”, Jonah says smiling, then going on to prepare the coffee machine.

 

The shift with Jonah was chilled, even though the morning shift seems to be one of the most exhausting working hours Louis has ever had. There was not a single minute to relax till around 10 am. From then on the mass of people decreased tremendously. Finally Louis was able to breathe again. He never had a more stressful shift but at the same time he's never had a better colleague to work with. Everything has had a order and was organised, not like with others that work like complete slobs. Getting work done is so much easier when there is a structure to follow. With Jonah everything seemed easy to handle.

When there are just a few people left in the café, Louis and Jonah make themselves Caramel Macchiatos and sit down on a table near the counter. Of all his colleagues he liked Jonah the most now. Okay, he was just second place since Eleanor started to work here a few weeks ago too. Nevertheless, he has never had a shift with his best friend, not yet. Louis smiles at his co-worker.

“So, I assume you study.” Louis says out of nowhere.

“Yes, I do.” Jonah doesn't sound like a Brit. Louis already noticed that when they met this morning and also while talking with the customers or exchanging orders with Louis. He wasn't sure what accent Jonah has or if his accent would be helpful to reckon where he comes from. The small boy has never been good with accents. He couldn't even pin down the British accents to their areas. So how should he be able to do it with the foreigners speaking English in their accent?

“You're not English, are you?” Louis just kind of lets his question drop out of his mind. He doesn't really care if he sounds noisy right now. He's too interested in Jonah at the moment to wonder if he came around as intrusive.

“No, I'm German but it was my dream to study English language and literature in England.”

“Your English is very good for someone who's not native.”

“Well, I guess if you love a language for so many years already, it just comes easier to you to learn it. I love English.” Jonah smiles and Louis finds the boy even cuter than he did this morning. To Louis it took more than a dream to fulfil it in the end. It took courage and ambition, and moving to another country, not knowing anyone, to study what you love in a language that you love but isn't your mother tongue, is still hard to reach for Louis. He wouldn't be that brave but then again, Louis didn't speak any other language fluently. There were a few French words and sentences he knew and a bit of Italian but that's about it. Foreign languages have never been his thing. Call it lazy or blinkered, he doesn't really care. He's always survived with English wherever he was, so to Louis there was no need to learn a new language.

“You're very brave to me.”

“Thank you but I don't really feel brave.” Louis ignores what Jonah is saying next because it just sinks in what he studies and he remembers that Eleanor studies English language and literature too. There're lots of universities in London, so what was the chance of the two of them being at the same? Still, there was a chance and it definitely wouldn't be the first time for Louis to meet someone by coincidence.

"…honestly, I totally believe–" Mid-sentence Louis interrupts the other boy and it bubbles out of his mouth what is on his mind for the last few seconds.

"Do you know an Eleanor Jane Calder?" Jonah is confused, doesn't understand at first. He wants to ask if Louis can repeat the question but Louis already notices that he left him completely dazed and disorientated. "I'm sorry but you said you study English language and literature and Eleanor is my best friend. She studies the same thing, also in London, so I thought maybe, just maybe you've met."

"Yes", is all Jonah can get into words. He's still a little unable to cope with all of this. A few seconds later he has got himself settled and then he smiles. "She's in my course, actually. Eleanor is really nice. As far as I know she works here too, doesn't she?"

"Oh yes, she does. Usually I have most my shifts with her but now that Alisha is sick, it seems I got the shifts with you." Louis hopes he doesn't sound rude, doesn't sound like he hates working with Jonah and would rather have his shifts with Eleanor again because that's not the case. If Louis was actually honest, he'd totally love to have more shifts with the good looking boy. Deep down he really hoped, Jonah wasn't straight or taken, or even worse would want a committed relationship because he would definitely never be ready for that no matter who came along. He swore it to himself and Eleanor. Relationships just weren't worth all the pain and hurt that came with it. You've always got less than you gave and Louis wasn't willed to do that anymore. Fuck relationships without feelings and One Night Stands, that's what he does, that's what he’s good in.

"It's not too bad, is it?" Jonah asks and Louis chuckles about it.

"No, absolutely not. I can imagine worse people to work with than you. If I'm being honest, I really enjoyed working with you today.” Louis smiles at his co-worker.

Jonah smiles back and wants to say something but his phone vibrates and cuts him off. He looks at his phone and cringes. Apparently it's no one he wants him to text but Louis doesn't think he's not in a position to ask Jonah who it is. The other boy sighs.

“I'm sorry, Louis. I need to call him back.” _Him._ Louis tries not to read too much into this. It could be Jonah’s brother or father or just a mate. It doesn't have to mean he's gay. “My ex is annoying me for ages now. I think I need to tell him to stop texting and calling again.” _Ex._ _Him and ex._ There's no way now that he could’ve misunderstood that. Now he's happy because he didn't even have to ask Jonah if he's gay but he's got the answer. Kind of. He doesn't know if he's gay or bi or whatever he labels himself but he knows he's into blokes. 100% sure about it because he had a boyfriend. Hopefully this was his latest ex and he was single now. Well, Louis didn't even mean to think about this. Jonah seems like a genuine nice guy. Someone that is good with relationships but probably bad with sex relationships. That doesn't seem to be his thing but Louis can't be sure. He's been with boys that just needed that after a failed relationship – an uncommitted sex relationship just for fun. Louis’ always been fast to agree, mostly because they always ended to be uncomplicated. Complicated wasn't anything he liked, no one did.

“Louis!” Someone shouts after running into the shop with loud echoing steps. Louis turns around and sees Zayn who leans against the bar, breathing heavily. “I need a strong mocha, now.”

“Strong mocha? What's up, mate?” Louis knows that something happened, something bad because Zayn never orders strong mochas in any other situation. He drinks coffee, yes but never mocha and never as strong as possible. It kind of became their thing to communicate. Louis walks up to the counter to make his best friend’s order.

“Had a fight with Perrie. She just doesn't get that I don't have so much time for her right now. I've got that important essay for my arts class. It's my main course. I can't fail because some stupid essay about the arts of the 16th century.”

“Renaissance, eh, mate?”

“No, Mannerism. Wished I got Renaissance but some girl in my class got it before I could even blink. Seriously our professor prefers girls before boys in everything. It's not fair at all.” Zayn sighs. Louis knows that some professors are unfair but he's never heard about one giving all the hard essays to the males. Then again he was very sure that Zayn will master this paper, no matter what.

"Can't be that bad." Louis tries to make Zayn feel better but he's sure what he just said didn't really help at all. Instead of saying more, he makes Zayn's mocha and adds extra coffee to make it even stronger, just like Zayn needs it. He then places the mug in front of his best friend who smiles slightly.

"You're the best, Louis." Zayn takes a sip and seems to be more relaxed than he was just a few seconds before.

"What are best friends and roommates for?"

"To be honest, I wouldn't know what to do without you working here. No one would make me a better blow-off-steam mocha in the whole wide world. Seriously, not even El." Zayn pauses for a second and Louis stares at his best friend with a quite confused face. There's something to come and he wasn't sure if it was something good when his other best friend was involved. "By the way, can you give me Eleanor's number? After three years of knowing you two, I still haven't got her number and I need it now."

"What for?" Louis doesn't like people asking him for Eleanor's phone number and there have been lots of guys doing that. She was good-looking and nice to almost everyone, though she was shy from time to time. He doesn't give her number away to anyone though. It's a principle he doesn't bend, not for anyone. Louis didn't know Zayn doesn't have Eleanor's number yet. He finds it weird but El must have had a reason to never give it to him or they just never had a reason to exchange their numbers. Anyway, Louis doesn't feel in a position to act without Eleanor's consent.

"I need the English literature of Mannerism and I can't find shit about it. All I know is that Mannerism was mostly common in Italy but I need to make a reference to the English literature of the 16th century. This has nothing to do with arts anymore, so this is totally not my kind of speciality."

"I can't give you her number without her permission but I can text her that you need something from her. She can come over tonight and then she can give you information and if anything else is needed you still can ask for exchanging numbers but I don't wanna help you getting myself into trouble with my other best friend." Louis gets his phone from his pocket and unlocks it. He opens his messages and notices that he has one that is marked as unread. It's from an unknown number but since he remembers giving his number to Lance who he met in the club two days ago, he sends the number a short 'hi' back and then texts a short message to Eleanor to inform her about Zayn's art essay. Just a second later Eleanor answers him already.

> _Tell Zayn I look it up and I'll be over tonight. We can discuss everything then. Laters. Xx_

"As I said, Eleanor will come over tonight", Louis says and smiles. Zayn emptied his mug by now and seems to be on his way out again.

"I can't thank you enough. For the mocha and the text to El."

"Don't thank me, Zayn." Just when Louis finished his sentence, Zayn's mobile rings and he groans when he sees the caller.

"Have to go. My girl is calling for me. See you tonight." Zayn answers his phone and leaves the coffee shop again. Jonah comes back a few minutes later with an annoyed expression on his face.

"This guy makes me angry as hell. He won't understand that I don't wanna be with him anymore. Blocked his number now."

"Why does it seem like everyone around me has problems with their relationships? My best friend is crying after some bloke but does no move to make him realise she wants to be with him, my other best friend has a relationship crisis with his girlfriend because she got clingy while he has stress with uni and you don't seem happy that your ex is running after you. See, that is why I don't do relationships in the first place." Louis grins at Jonah who sits down on a bar chair, facing Louis who still stands behind the counter. 

"You do it the right way, should try it too." Jonah just says and they start working again after a bit of chatting and more chatting.

 

Louis' shift ends at 12:45 when Janice took over the shift from him. Jonah has finished an hour earlier and left with Louis' number in his phone. They promised to meet outside of work once in a while, to be friends, of course. Louis is on his way back to the dorms when he gets a text message. He didn't expect anyone's message but sometimes he got stupid 'You've won the jackpot' texts.

It wasn't one of those. Instead he was looking down onto something he didn't expect at all.

In bright letters there is to read:

> _Didn't expect you to text me. Don't hate me that much after all, do you? Any plan of starting the challenge yet? Looking forward to your next message. All the love, H._

Louis stares blankly at his phone. This must be a joke.


End file.
